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Wilmington,  N.  C.  Chamber  of  Commerce 

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Supplemental  Brief 


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SUPPLEMENTAL  BRIEF 

PREPARED  BY  THE 


WILMINGTON,  N.  C.,  CHAMBER 
OF  COMMERCE 


AND  FILED  WITH  THE 


STATE  SHIP  AND  WATER  TRANSPORTATION 

COMMISSION 


WILMINGTON  PRINTING  CO.,  WILMINGTON.  N.  C. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


https://archive.org/details/supplementalbrieOOwilm 


INTRODUCTION 

In  general  terms,  the  last  Legislature  creating  the  State  Ship  and 
Water  Transportation  Commission  authorized  it  to  find  some  means  to  use 
more  fully  the  navigable  rivers,  sounds  and  other  bodies  of  water  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  State.  This  necessarily  involved  a  number  of 
different  subjects  all  germane  to  the  main  object  in  view,  such  as  existing 
freight  rates  and  the  complex  method  of  arriving  at  same,  the  zoning 
system,  gateway  cities  and  the  reasons  therefor,  port  conditions,  termi¬ 
nals  and  many  other  kindred  matters  all  having  a  bearing  on  the  main 
purpose  which  is  to  further  promote  the  public  welfare,  to  provide 
cheaper  transportation  to  the  markets  within  and  without  the  State  and 
the  products  of  the  farms,  the  forests,  mines  and  factories  of  the  State 
and  to  effect  cheaper  transportation  for  commodities  purchased  by  the 
people  of  the  State,  both  within  and  without  the  State. 

On  April  13th  the  Commission  held  a  meeting  at  Wilmington,  the 
Chairman  stating  that  the  Commission  sought  information  from  all  ports 
of  the  State  in  regard  to  terminals  and  water  transportation,  explaining 
that  no  opinion  had  been  formed  by  the  Commission  and  none  would  be 
formed  until  a  complete  survey  of  the  situation  had  been  made.  At  this 
meeting  James  H.  Cowan,  Mayor  of  the  city  and  former  Secretary  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Industrial  Agent,  showed  what  other  states 
had  done  towards  the  establishment  of  state  ports  and  clearly  demon¬ 
strated  in  all  instances  that  where  this  had  been  done  the  state  as  a  whole 
realized  untold  prosperity,  giving  statistics  to  prove  his  point.  He  then 
showed  that,  by  act  of  Congress,  the  Government  did  not  intend  to  appro¬ 
priate  any  huge  sum  of  money  to  aid  port  development  where  the  ports 
are  not  municipally  or  state  owned  or  controlled  but  that  it  was  ready  to 
lend  aid  to  those  ports  that  established  state  terminals  and  gave  evidence 
that  it  was  awake  and  ready  to  protect  the  people  of  the  state  against 
discriminative  freight  rates.  He  then  pointed  out  the  rate  advantage  in 
water  borne  commerce  and  that  the  waterways  of  the  State  should  be 
used  for  the  benefit  of  the  State.  Major  Oscar  0.  Kuentz,  U.  S.  District 
Engineer  discussed  state  and  federal  relation  in  Port  matters.  Mr.  J.  A. 
Taylor,  a  wholesale  grocer  and  an  authority  on  rates  reviewed  the  rate 
question  and  the  problems  relating  to  freight  rates  and  the  technical  basis 
for  rate  making,  revealing  numerous  interesting  and  valuable  facts  to 
the  Commission,  and  tending  to  show  the  vital  importance  of  coordinat¬ 
ing  rail  and  water  facilities.  His  argument  developed  many  inequalities, 
discriminations  and  injustices.  Mr.  Taylor  applied  his  explanation  of  the 
subject  to  the  undertaking  to  bring  about  a  solution  of  North  Carolina’s 
rate  problem  by  betterment  of  the  Port  of  Wilmington  by  securing  co- 

1 


operation  between  carriers,  referring  to  the  Interstate  Commerce  Com¬ 
mission  as  the  Court  of  last  resort  to  compel  such  co-operation  and  lastly 
stressed  the  discrimination  against  the  Port  of  Wilmington  by  means  of 
differentials  in  favor  of  Norfolk.  Mr.  C.  C.  Chadbourn  argued  that  Wil¬ 
mington  was  the  strategic  location  for  a  state  port,  outlining  the  port 
equipment  and  commercial  activities  as  they  are  related  to  the  whole 
State  interests,  laying  especial  emphasis  on  the  modern  facilities  now 
existing  for  the  handling  of  cotton  and  fertilizers,  further  stating  that 
the  State  recognized  in  Wilmington  the  one  Port  capable  of  being  made 
a  deep  water  port  for  the  best  service  of  the  State. 

Wilmington  then  submitted  a  brief  setting  forth  all  of  the  above  as 
well  as  other  arguments  pertinent  to  the  subject.  Subsequently  Southport 
presented  a  very  comprehensive  and  elucidating  brief  covering  the  matter 
in  all  its  phases.  The  Commission  has  visited  every  port  in  the  State. 

In  view  of  the  exhaustive  investigation  made  by  the  Commission 
covering  a  period  of  many  months  and  using  information  derived  from 
every  possible  source,  we  are  going  to  assume  that  the  presentation  of 
further  facts,  statistics  and  arguments  relative  to  the  benefit  to  accrue 
to  the  State  from  unlimited  use  of  a  State  Port  would  be  entirely  un¬ 
necessary.  We  feel  that  there  is  nothing  further  to  be  said  on  the  subject. 
You  have  probably  by  this  time  a  very  clear  idea,  unexpressed  perhaps 
even  to  each  other,  as  to  just  what  recommendation  you  will  make. 

Since  there  seems  to  have  been  no  strong  presentation  of  the  claims 
for  recognition  of  any  other  ports  than  Southport  and  Wilmington,  we 
think  it  is  reasonable  to  assume  that,  if  you  recommend  the  State  Port 
in  principle  you  will  recommend  as  a  location  for  it  some  point  in  the 
Cape  Fear  tidal  basin. 

In  order,  therefore,  to  save  time  and  avoid  useless  argument,  we 
will  confine  ourselves  in  this  supplemental  brief,  entirely  to  Southport 
and  Wilmington  and  it  will  be  an  effort  to  set  forth  such  facts  and 
arguments  as  to  prove  to  you  conclusively  that,  of  the  two  places,  Wil¬ 
mington  is  the  one  best  adapted  to  development  which  would  win  the 
desired  relief. 

* 

ADVANTAGE  OF  INLAND  PORT 

We  will  take  up  first,  and  very  briefly  because  it  needs  little  elabora¬ 
tion,  one  of  the  strongest  reasons  upon  which  we  base  our  claims. 

Wilmington  is  thirty  miles  from  the  Ocean.  Since  it  is  axiomatic 
that  water  transportation  is  much  cheaper  than  rail  transportation, 
freight  consigned  to  interior  points  has  already  received  the  benefit  of  a 
thirty  mile  longer  haul  by  water.  More  than  this,  the  rate  of  freight 
from  foreign  or  coastwise  points  to  Wilmington  is  just  the  same  as  to 
Southport,  so  that  the  thirty  mile  rail  haul  must  be  added  in  toto  and  the 
freight  rate,  in  tons,  by  rail  from  Southport  to  Wilmington  is  $3.10  for 
sixth  class;  $4.00  for  5th  class;  $4.30  for  4th  class;  $4.50  for  3rd  class; 

2 


$5.00  for  2nd  class;  $5.70  for  first  class.  It  has  been  mentioned  as  an 
offset  to  this  that  a  vessel  has  to  pay  pilotage  up  the  river.  Let  us  see 
about  this.  The  pilotage  on  a  vessel  drawing  20  feet  of  water  is  $125.28 
up  the  river.  Such  a  vessel  would  carry  a  cargo  of  about  7,000  tons  or 
about  1 cents  per  ton.  As  the  size  of  the  vessel  increases  the  cost 
per  ton  would  decrease.  We  have  used  this  size  of  vessel  because  there 
are  more  of  approximately  this  size  than  any  other  size.  The  cost  of 
docking  this  vessel  would  be  $65.00  but  this  would  not  be  taken  into  con¬ 
sideration  because  the  cost  of  docking  at  Southport  would  be  as  much  or 
more  as  the  wind  is  usually  higher  and  the  water  rougher  at  Southport 
than  in  Wilmington. 

Owing  to  the  strong  tides  at  Southport,  both  flood  and  ebb,  ships 
could  only  be  handled  at  slack  water  if  the  terminals  were  slips  which 
ot  necessity  would  have  to  be  to  afford  trackage  to  warehouses.  The 
tide  at  Southport  frequently  runs  as  much  as  5  knots  both  ebb  and  flood, 
jwhile  at  Wilmington  only  one  and  a  half  or  two,  so  that  at  Wilmington 
|  it  is  practicable  to  dock  or  undock,  in  and  out  of  slips,  at  any  stage  of 
the  tide.  The  members  of  the  Commission  may  remember  the  difficulty 
of  the  Yamacraw  in  landing  at  Southport  when  the  April  meeting  was 
held. 


Quite  a  little  difference  between  1%  cents  and  $5.70.  However,  this 
is  not  exactly  a  fair  way  of  stating  the  case.  It  is  true  but  extreme. 
The  fair  way  to  get  an  accurate  estimate  of  the  difference  is  to  take  the 
average  cost  of  handling  one  ton  of  freight  one  mile  and  multiply  this  by 
thirty. 


As  an  evidence  of  the  value  of  a  port  being  as  far  inland  as  pos¬ 
sible,  most  of  the  large  ports  of  the  world  including  this  country  are 
inland.  The  principal  ports  of  this  country — -Boston  13  miles;  New 
York  17*4  miles;  Savannah  28  miles;  Jacksonville  28  miles;  Norfolk  30 
miles;  Wilmington  30  miles;  Charleston  7%  miles;  Philadelphia  63  miles; 
Galveston  6  miles;  New  Orleans  114  miles;  Baltimore  180  miles;  Mobile 
0  miles;  San  Francisco  located  in  a  bay;  Los  Angeles  19  miles;  Portland 
0  miles;  Seattle  50  miles.  If  it  were  possible  to  have  this  proposed 
port  at  Fayetteville  we  would  say  it  would  be  of  more  value  to  the  State 
than  at  Wilmington  because  it  would  have  increased  water  haul  and  de¬ 
creased  the  rail  haul.  If  freight  could  be  delivered  to  its  ultimate  des¬ 
tination  by  water  it  would,  of  course,  be  cheaper  than  by  rail.  It  nat- 
:  urally  follows  that  the  more  we  can  use  water  courses  the  less  freight  we 
will  have  to  pay. 


RADIATION  OF  TRANSPORTATION  ARTERIES 

)  Another  most  important  factor  is  the  almost  perfect  radiation  of  es- 
3  tablished  arteries  for  distribution  of  freight.  While  we  have  only  two 
r,  systems,  we  have  six  separate  and  distinct  railroads  leading  out  of  Wil- 
jtmington,  with  ample  yard  room  and  track  for  storage  of  cars,  switching, 

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3 


etc.  The  Wilmington,  Newbern  and  Norfolk  covers  the  extreme  East¬ 
ern  part  of  the  State.  The  Atlantic  Coast  Line  runs  almost  due  North 
from  Wilmington  going  through  a  fine  trucking  and  tobacco  section  and 
connecting  with  the  Southern  Railroad  at  Goldsboro  to  the  West  and 
Norfolk  and  Southern  to  the  East.  The  Atlantic  and  Yadkin  runs  north¬ 
west  to  Sanford  making  physical  connection  at  Fayetteville  with  the  main 
line  of  the  A.  C.  L.  North  and  South  with  a  branch  line  into  South  Caro¬ 
lina  and  with  the  Norfolk  and  Southern  into  Raleigh,  and  with  the 
Southern  at  Sanford  and  coal  fields,  so  that,  with  any  considerable  de¬ 
velopment  of  the  coal  fields,  Wilmington  would  be  the  most  available  and 
cheapest  port  through  which  to  export  this  coal ;  connecting  with  the 
A.  C.  L.  at  Pembroke;  a  branch  line  of  the  A.  C.  L.  at  Maxton  and  the 
main  line  of  the  Seaboard  Air  Line  at  Hamlet.  The  Atlantic  Coast  Line, 
over  the  old  W.  C.  and  A.,  runs  through  the  strawberry  belt  into  South 
Carolina  connecting  at  Chadbourn  with  the  A.  C.  L.  from  Conway  and 
Elrod  and  the  W.  B.  &  S.  connects  the  city  of  Wilmington  with  Southport. 
Of  course  the  Commission  is  perfectly  aware  of  these  conditions  and  we 
only  mention  them  now  that  they  may  get  into  the  record  as  a  very 
powerful  argument  for  the  recommendation  of  the  City  of  Wilmington 
as  the  State  Port.  Wilmington  is  the  terminus  of  several  State  High¬ 
ways  over  which  freight  will  be  distributed  in  ever  increasing  volumes. 
The  policy  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina  with  regard  to  hard  roads  has 
resulted  in  a  remarkable  increase  in  the  amount  of  freight  thus  trans¬ 
ported  and  from  reasons  of  convenience  and  dispatch  this  volume  will 
continue  to  increase  so  that  the  roads  already  built  and  in  use  is  a  real 
factor  in  the  situation.  The  Northeast,  the  Cape  Fear  and  the  Black 
rivers  are  also  navigable  for  many  miles  above  Wilmington  and  have 
always  been  freely  used  for  the  transportation  of  freight  not  only  for 
economy  but  because  they  reach  many  points  not  otherwise  accessible. 
It  is  estimated  by  men  who  have  had  experience  that  on  truck  hauls  up 
to  80  or  90  miles  the  truck  is  as  economical  as  the  railroad  and  is  less 
damaging  to  freight  because  this  system  of  transportation,  by  the  use 
of  pneumatic  tires,  is  smoother  and  much  more  convenient  because  it  de¬ 
livers  freight  when  and  where  wanted.  Truck  transportation  has  here¬ 
tofore  and  will  continue  to  be  of  inestimable  value  whenever  there  may 
happen  to  be  congestion  on  the  railroads  or  in  the  event  of  a  strike. 
Small  country  towns  would  soon  exhaust  their  small  supply  of  provisions 
were  delivery  to  be  cut  off  and  the  use  of  our  hard  roads  and  trucks 
would  always  serve  to  obviate  this  danger,  so  that  an  elaborate  system  of 
highways  is  of  distinctive  value.  On  account  of  its  location  and  on  ac¬ 
count  of  the  State  law  Southport  can  have  but  one  highway. 

POWER  AND  TRACTION 

It  might  be  worth  while  mentioning  the  Tide  Water  Power  Company 
which  in  addition  to  its  city  tracks  and  an  elaborate  electric  power,  runs 


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ci  line  ten  miles  to  WTightsville  Beach.  Wilmington  also  has  a  dummy 
line  and  a  belt  railroad  by  means  of  which  every  dock  and  every  indus¬ 
trial  plant  in  and  around  the  city  can  be  reached. 

Electric  power  will  be  essential  to  a  modern  terminal  for  use  in  op¬ 
erating  trucks,  unloading  derricks  and  powerful  lights  for  use  in  night  un¬ 
loading.  The  Tide  Water  Power  Company  has  recently  made  arrange¬ 
ments  for  connection  with  the  Carolina  Light  and  Power  Company  so 
that  in  event  of  any  derangement  of  its  own  system,  neither  power  nor 
lights  would  be  off. 

PROTECTED  HARBOR 


It  is  worthy  to  note  that  all  great  ports,  as  has  been  mentioned,  are 
inland.  There  is  another  reason  for  this  besides  the  economical  dis¬ 
tribution  of  freight  and  that  is  to  afford  a  harbor  protection  from  the 
fury  of  storms.  About  thirty  years  ago  a  tidal  wave  swept  away  every 
thing  movable  on  the  water  front  at  Southport.  Also  the  light  house  on 
Fort  Caswell  Beach.  As  a  matter  of  record,  which  we  shall  prove  by  a 
competent  and  credible  witness,  everything  along  the  water  front  at 
Southport  has  either  been  destroyed  or  very  seriously  damaged  and  all 
craft  in  the  harbor  driven  or  sunk  in  every  hurricane  in  the  past  fifty 
years. 

Should  a  hurricane  strike  Southport,  shipping  would  suffer  as  severe¬ 
ly  as  at  Charleston  in  the  gale  of  1893  provided  there  were  as  many  ves¬ 
sels  in  Port.  As  a  result  of  that  gale  the  tendency  in  Charleston  ever 
jsince  has  been  to  locate  docks  and  terminals  further  up  stream.  South- 
port,  as  a  study  of  the  situation  shows,  is  absolutely  exposed  to  gales  from 
the  East  and  Southeast  and  Southwest.  It  is  from  the  Southeast  that  the 
most  destructive  hurricanes  come.  • 

The  disadvantage  of  an  exposed  port  is  apparent  even  when  there 
is  no  hurricane.  With  a  full  Spring  tide  it  is  often  necessary  to  steer  a 
loaded  ship  while  at  anchor  to  keep  the  ship  from  going  aground.  Many 
ships  have  gone  aground  from  taking  a  very  rank  sheer  caused  by  the 
strong  tides  and  winds.  It  is  well  known  that  the  wind  invariably 
blows  harder  at  the  coast  than  inland.  The  tide  also  runs  faster  so  that 
as  a  matter  of  fact  there  are  several  hours  of  both  flood  and  ebb  tide 
when  a  vessel  could  not  dock  at  Southport  at  which  place  there  is  a 
stronger  tide  than  any  port  in  the  South. 


•  * 

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WAR 

In  setting  forth  the  advantages  of  an  inland  location  it  is  necessary 
lo  remember  that  every  country,  without  exception,  is  liable  to  be  drawn 
into  war  at  any  time.  In  the  recent  war  plans  had  been  made  to  attack 
f  3ur  coast  cities  and  these  plans  would  have  been  consummated  but  for 
;  the  abrupt  closing  of  the  war.  In  future  wars  we  may  not  be  so  fortu- 

5 


nate.  Would  it  be  wise  to  hazard  so  much  property  as  would  be  repre¬ 
sented  by  large  terminals  and  their  contents  in  a  place  so  close  to  the 
ocean  and  consequently  so  susceptible  to  attack  as  Southport? 


EFFECT  OF  SALT  WATER  ON  METAL 


The  damaging  effect  of  salt  water  on  metal  is  so  well  known  as  not 
to  require  any  comment.  Nails,  hardware  and  all  other  items  requiring 
metal  must  be  of  galvanized  iron,  brass  or  copper,  or  they  will  soon  dis¬ 
integrate  entirely.  The  initial  cost  and  maintenance  cost  of  using  these 
metals  is  a  serious  addition  to  cost.  - 


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The  Teredo,  a  salt  water  worm,  has  a  most  destructive  effect  on 
wood  as  we  will  prove  by  the  accompanying  photograph  and  by  letter  and 
other  evidence.  The  General  Manager  of  the  Tide  Water  Power  Com¬ 
pany  which  maintains  three  trestles  in  salt  water  says — “Regarding 
your  inquiry  as  to  the  effect  of  the  Teredo  on  untreated  piling  in  the 
Banks  Channel  between  Wrightsville  Beach  and  Harbor  Island,  would 
say  that  before  any  treatment  was  used  in  connection  with  these  piling 
it  was  necessary  to  drive  them  every  two  years.  By  reason  of  a  special 
preparation  which  we  now  use  in  treating  the  surface  of  these  piling,  we 
are  able  to  obtain  three  years’  effective  service. 

“On  our  power  house  wharf  in  the  Cape  Fear  river  we  obtain  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  years’  effective  use  from  the  same  grade  of  piling.” 


As  has  been  proven  by  experience  a  wooden  piling  in  fresh  water  will 
last  indefinitely  wet;  when  alternately  wet  and  dry  decomposition  sets  in 
and  it  is  common  in  fresh  water  ports  to  cut  the  exposed  part  of  a  piling 
off  and  use  the  balance,  the  part  in  the  ground  and  under  water,  time 
and  time  again. 

MARINE  PILING 

The  average  life  of  a  piling  in  salt  water,  if  cut  in  the  fall  is  three 
years,  if  cut  in  the  spring  it  will  not  last  over  one  year.  Mr.  Irving  T. 
Bush,  President  of  the  Bush  Terminals  Co.,  says  “A  location  where  you 
are  free  from  insect  trouble  is  preferable.” 

The  National  Research  Council,  Committee  on  Marine  Piling,  has 
made  and  is  still  making  an  exhaustive  study  of  the  effect  of  marine 
borers  on  wooden  piling  the  result  of  which  has  been  to  recognize  the 
destructiveness  of  salt  water  pests,  but  so  far  has  failed  to  find  any 
practical  protection  from  them.  We  show  for  your  close  inspection, 
photographs  of  pieces  of  lumber  attacked  by  the  Teredo  and  the  result 
of  60  days  of  his  work.  We  also  show  you  shells  that  have  been  attacked 
by  some  kind  of  marine  borer.  The  action  of  the  marine  borer  on  con¬ 
crete  is  not  so  well  known  although  the  service  bureau  of  the  American 


6 


Wood  Preservers  Association  says:  “The  discovery  in  Los  Angeles  har- 
boi  of  borers  attacking  and  destroying  concrete  would  seem  to  dispel  at 
least  partially  the  theory  universally  applied  of  concrete  for  permanence. 
In  addition  to  other  troubles  that  visit  concrete  in  salt  water  structures 
comes  this  visitation  of  the  destructive  mollusk.  Those  engaged  in  the 
protection  of  timber  piling  against  borers  will  find  it  in  their  hearts  to 
sympathize  with  the  disappointment  of  such  as  fondly  hoped  that  once 
they  built  concrete  all  future  troubles  would  be  eliminated.  The  recent 
report  of  the  San  Francisco  Bay  Marine  Piling  Committee  presented  at 
the  1923  convention  of  the  American  Wood  Preservers  Association  con¬ 
tains  a  detailed  description  of  the  activity  of  this  additional  enemy  of 
wharf  structures  from  which  we  make  a  few  statements. 

“In  the  work  of  widening  the  channel  in  Los  Angeles  harbor,  Novem¬ 
ber,  1922,  it  became  necessary  to  remove  some  old  wooden  piling  which 
had  been  jacketed  some  years  previously  with  concrete.  In  looking  over 
these  piling  it  was  observed  that  some  of  the  jackets  had  been  attacked 
by  borers.  Of  18  jackets  examined,  16  were  found  to  be  more  or  less  at¬ 
tacked ;  about  five  were  considered  to  be  badly  attacked.  At  another 
location  of  12  pile  jackets  examined,  three  were  rather  badly  attacked  by 
borers.  As  regards  the  extent  of  damage  occasioned  by  borers  in  concrete 
or  concrete  jacketed  piles  at  four  different  locations  in  Los  Angeles  har¬ 
bor  where  such  piles  exist,  about  50%  have  been  more  or  less  attacked,  of 
which  rather  more  than  one-fifth  have  been  very  considerably  bored.  Of 
those  not  attacked  a  number  stood  so  well  inshore  as  to  be  but  little  ex¬ 
posed  to  the  action  of  the  borers.  If  all  such  piles  were  eliminated  from 
the  count,  the  percentage  of  jackets  damaged  would  be  considerably 
higher.”  The  findings  set  forth  above  are,  to  say  the  least,  disturbing 
and  indicative  of  serious  possibilities.  It  is  entirely  to  be  expected  that 
when  rock  borers  have  penetrated  the  concrete  jacket  about  wooden  piles, 
wood  borers  will  be  able  to  gain  entrance  through  the  pholad  holes  and 
attack  the  pile  itself.  There  is  also  a  more  serious  possibility  in  the  case 
of  reinforced  concrete  piles.  A  single  borer  penetrating  such  a  pile  would 
let  water  into  the  reinforcing  metal,  which  would  effect  corrosion  and 
swelling  of  the  latter,  causing  the  pile  to  crack  and  speedily  disintegrate. 
It  appears  at  any  rate  that  the  use  of  concrete  for  marine  construction 
is  not  so  immediate  and  certain  a  solution  of  the  marine  borer  problem 
as  has  been  sometimes  assumed  the  case.  We  want  to  be  perfectly  fair 
about  this  as  about  all  matters  and  it  is  only  proper  to  say  that  this 
difficulty  does  not  seem  to  be  insurmountable.  The  pholad  has  not  as 
yet  appeared  on  the  Atlantic  Coast.  It  is  thought  that  by  making  the 
aggregate  dense  enough  that  sufficient  protection  will  be  afforded,  but 
a  large  Concrete  Pile  Company  says  this:  “Concrete  has  justly  been 
criticized  as  a  material  to  be  used  in  sea  water  for  the  reason  that  there 
have  been  a  number  of  serious  failures.  These  failures,  however,  have 
all  been  attributed  to  very  bad  engineering  in  both  the  selection  of  ma- 

7 

X  7  fi  .  .  ^  (V  fjS  .  i#*.  .  //  .  M  4  A  *-  — '  . 


U  /  Jr  . 
try 


terials  and  in  the  execution  of  the  work.”  Which  means  that  although  it 
is  practical  to  use  concrete  piling  in  salt  water,  great  care  must  be  exer¬ 
cised.  No  such  apprehension  need  be  felt  in  fresh  water. 

EFFECT  OF  SALT  WATER  ON  VESSELS 

The  above  is  applicable  to  any  structure  that  may  be  erected  in  salt 
water  but  the  effect  on  vessels  is  equally  as  important.  Almost  the  first 
question  the  Master  of  a  vessel,  if  a  stranger,  will  ask  the  pilot  is  whether 
the  water  is  fresh  or  salt,  and  the  reason  for  this  is  barnacles  and  sea¬ 
weed  in  large  quantities  attach  to  a  vessel,  either  wood  or  steel  after  it 
has  been  a  long  time  in  salt  water.  This  is  harmful  to  a  vessel  and  se¬ 
riously  retards  its  speed.  This  condition  in  sea  language  is  called  foul 
and  clears  itself  only  in  fresh  water.  The  Chief  Engineer  will  also 
ask  the  same  question  because  it  is  necessary  to  have  fresh  water  to 
clean  the  boiler  tubes. 

FRESH  WATER  FOR  BOILERS 

A  Chief  Engineer  says  in  regard  to  water  as  follows:  “Subject  to 
your  request,  in  regard  to  the  use  of  Cape  Fear  and  Black  river  waters 
used  for  boiler  purposes,  beg  to  state  that  I  have  had  approximately  twelve 
years’  experience  as  Chief  Engineer  for  three  of  the  largest  fertilizer 
plants  in  this  section,  and  positively  know  that  no  better  water  could  be 
found  anywhere  near  this  locality  that  could  compare  with  the  waters 
of  the  above  rivers  for  the  upkeep  of  boilers.  I  don’t  know  of  any  plant 
in  this  section  that  uses  water  directly  out  of  the  river,  that  are  using 
boiler  compounds  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  their  boilers,  the  only 
process  required  is  to  blow  them  regularly,  not  more  than  twice  in  twenty- 
four  hours. 

“My  experience  as  to  the  above  is  from  a  practical  standpoint  only. 

Yours  very  truly, 

(signed)  J.  W.  CURTIS,  Chief  Engineer, 

Swift  &  Co.  Fertilizer  Works.” 


8 


COST  OF  FRESH  WATER  TERMINALS  IN  PROTECTED  LOCATIONS 

vs. 

COST  OF  SALT  WATER  TERMINALS  IN  UNPROTECTED  LOCATIONS 

No.  1.  Fresh  water  terminals  in  protected  locations _ 

Engineers  ordinarily  design  structures  of  this  type  to  resist  the 
application  of  common  and  well  known  FORCES  such  as  dead 
loads,  live  loads  and  ORDINARY  wind  pressure;  storm  wave 
pressures  and  Geological  forces  and  resultant  changes;  also  nor¬ 
mal. 

It  follows,  naturally,  that  all  elements  involving  design,  la¬ 
bor,  materials,  construction  and  maintenance  will  in  this 
case  be  NORMAL  therefore  all  costs  will  be  LESS  than  the 
costs  entering  into  the  design  and  construction  of  salt  water 
terminals  in  unprotected  locations  under  totally  different 
conditions. 

No.  2.  OTHER  ELEMENTS — making  for  reduced  costs  of  fresh  water 
terminals  are  as  follows:  terminals  of  this  type  are  generally 
so  located  that  they  can  command  all  of  the  facilities  of  a  modern 
city  such  as  railroads,  banks,  commercial  interests,  ample  labor, 
light  and  power,  machine  shops,  lumber  mills,  supply  houses,  and 
all  other  agencies  tending  to  expedite  construction  by  the  elim¬ 
ination  of  costly  delays. 

No.  3.  SALT  WATER  TERMINALS  in  unprotected  locations — 

Engineers  in  designing  terminals  of  this  type  are  confronted  with 
all  of  the  known  forces  with  all  of  the  EXTRAORDINARY  nat¬ 
ural  forces  added.  These  natural  forces  and  elements  may  be 
covered  by  the  general  terms  of  HIGH  WINDS,  STORM  WAVES, 
SALT  WATER,  GEOLOGICAL  CHANGES.  These  extraordi¬ 
nary  forces  and  elements  make  for  increased  costs  in  design,  con¬ 
struction  and  upkeep. 

(a)  HIGH  WINDS:  Structures  to  withstand  high  wind 
pressures  should  be  seriously  studied  and  designed 
with  a  factor  of  safety  sufficient  to  safely  resist  the 
strongest  gales  ever  recorded  at  or  near  the  site  of  the 
proposed  terminal;  WIND  BRACING  makes  for  in¬ 
creased  costs. 

(b)  STORM  WAVES:  The  piling  and  under-framing  of 
piers  and  wharves  to  resist  storm  waves,  and  espe¬ 
cially  waves  of  translation  which  affect  harbor  and 
shore  structures  should  be  of  special  design  to  guard 
against  the  maximum  blow  of  any  wave,  or  series  of 
waves  ever  experienced  at  or  near  the  site  of  the  pro¬ 
posed  terminal.  Special  wharf  and  pier  construction 
makes  for  increased  costs. 


9 


(c)  SALT  WATER:  All  structures  in  and  around  salt 
water  require  special  or  treated  piling  and  timbers  to 
resist  marine  insects  and  growths.  All  iron  work 
should  be  galvanized  or  otherwise  protected  from  cor¬ 
rosion.  Special  piling,  treated  timbers  and  metals 
make  for  increased  costs. 

(d)  GEOLOGICAL  FORCES:  The  currents  induced  by 
wind  and  waves  in  the  MOUTH  OF  RIVERS  may  be¬ 
come  of  very  serious  concern,  in  causing  the  scouring 
out  of  foundations  for  piers,  sea  walls  or  other  struc¬ 
tures.  Wherever  this  condition  exists  extra  costs  will 
be  involved  to  guard  against  this  action. 

(e)  SITE:  If  no  really  suitable  site  exists  for  salt  water 
terminals  at  present,  it  is  quite  likely  that  extensive 
dredging  operations  will  have  to  be  made,  far  more  so 
than  at  any  fresh  water  terminal  at  or  near  a  large 
city. 

(f)  SWIFT  CURRENTS:  If  the  greatest  of  pains  is  not 
taken  in  building  slips  so  as  the  rapid  currents  and 
eddies  will  not  fill  them  up,  the  dredging  necessary  to 
keep  slips  open  will  be  excessive. 

(g)  In  connection  with  all  of  the  EXTRAORDINARY 
forces  as  enumerated  it  would  appear  that  any  engi¬ 
neer  who  hasn’t  investigated  conditions  and  compiled 
data  on  each  of  the  forces  as  they  ACTUALLY  exist 
will  be  confronted  with  a  serious  proposition  of  design. 

Marine  Railways  and  Dry  Docks  are  affected  by  the 
same  forces  acting  on  terminals.  Where  you  find  one 
you  generally  find  both.  Both  seek  fresh  water — slow 
running  currents  and  a  protected  location.  Marine 
Railways  and  Dry  Docks  are  generally  in  or  near  the 
shipping  district  of  any  port,  and  in  the  neighborhood 
of  modern  marine  repair  plants. 

Wilmington  has  three  Marine  Railways,  the  largest 
being  a  1,000  ton  capacity — Crandall. 

SUPERIOR  BANKING  FACILITIES 

In  connection  with  banking  facilities  to  which  reference  has  been 
made,  the  Murchison  National  Bank,  one  of  the  largest  institutions  in  the 
South,  says: 

"The  services  which  this  bank  must  and  can  perform  are  those  under 
the  following  divisions : 


10 


IMPORTS 

f 

We  have  facilities  for — 

(1)  Obtaining  for  the  importer  complete  credit  informa¬ 
tion  regarding  the  foreign  seller,  no  matter  in  what 
part  of  the  world  he  might  reside.  This  information 
can  be  obtained  by  cable  or  correspondence. 

(2)  Financing  the  movement  to  this  country  of  foreign 
commodities  in  any  of  the  following  customary  ways  i 

A.  Through  the  issuance  of  dollar  letters  of 
credit. 

B.  Through  issuance  of  foreign  currency  letters 
of  credit  (such  as  Francs,  Lires,  Pounds,  etc.) 

C.  Through  loans  made  direct  to  importer  when 
payment  outright  in  advance  is  necessary. 

NOTE — The  two  former  methods  are  customary  in 
that  the  purchaser  of  foreign  goods  is  making 
such  purchases  on  credit  and  is  entirely  protected 
throughout  the  transaction,  payments  being  made 
only  upon  delivery  in  this  country  of  shipments 
from  abroad. 

(3)  Financing  storage  at  the  port  of  importation  or  at 
the  point  of  distribution. 

NOTE — There  is  usually  considerable  time  elaps¬ 
ing  between  the  arrival  of  commodities  in  this 
country  and  the  actual  distribution  of  such  to  the 
various  purchasers  on  the  interior.  This  bank  fin¬ 
ances  the  storage  of  goods  against  warehouse  re¬ 
ceipts  and  bill  of  lading  drafts  covering  the  various 
shipments. 

(4)  Collecting  expeditionary  bill  of  lading  drafts  drawn 
on  any  point  covering  the  above  mentioned  distribu¬ 
tions.  Our  collection  department  has  access  to  every 
channel  for  collections  in  this  country,  we  having  cor¬ 
respondents  in  not  only  practically  every  town  in  North 
and  South  Carolina  but  in  practically  every  large  city 
in  the  United  States,  such  as  Boston,  New  York,  Phila¬ 
delphia,  Baltimore,  Washington,  Chicago,  St.  Louis, 
Pittsburgh,  New  Orleans,  Jacksonville,  Atlanta,  etc. 


EXPORTS 

This  bank  has  facilities  for — 

1.  Obtaining  detailed  information  relative  to  steamship 
sailings  and  for  arranging  cargo  space. 


11 


2.  Arranging  terminal  space  at  port. 

3.  Financing  the  storage  of  commodities  for  export  while 
awaiting  shipment. 

NOTE — We  are  prepared  to  discount  bankers’  ac¬ 
ceptances  drawn  against  port  ladings  or  warehouse 
receipts,  or  to  sell  such  bankers’  acceptances  in 
other  markets.  This  form  of  financing  is  neces¬ 
sary  in  case  of  delays  at  the  port. 

4.  Financing  shipments  abroad. 

A.  By  discounting  bills  of  exchange  drawn  by 
domestic  shippers  against  foreign  customer  or 
foreign  customer’s  bank,  usually  sixty  day  paper. 

B.  By  discounting  bankers’  acceptances  drawn 
against  this  bank  and  secured  by  the  above  bills 
of  exchange. 

C.  By  selling  the  above  bills  of  exchange  and 
bankers’  acceptances. 

NOTE — The  Murchison  National  Bank  has 
access  to  all  markets  for  such  paper  whether 
clean  or  with  documents  attached.  In  gen¬ 
eral  the  bank  has  facilities  for  financing  for¬ 
eign  shipments  in  all  of  the  customary  meth¬ 
ods. 


MISCELLANEOUS 

This  bank  has  facilities  for — 

1.  Furnishing  daily  exchange  rates. 

NOTE — This  service  is  essential  to  steamship 
captains  who,  while  in  port,  pay  off  their  crews 
in  American  dollars  on  the  basis  of  the  exchange 
rate  for  their  particular  currency.  For  instance, 
an  Italian  boat  in  the  port  of  Wilmington  pays 
the  crew  and  officers  on  the  basis  of  Italian  Lires 
but  the  payment  is  actually  made  in  American 
dollars. 

2.  Furnishing  foreign  exchange  drafts  drawn  on  any  city 
in  the  world.  In  a  port  city  there  are  usually  a  num¬ 
ber  of  foreigners  residing,  or  transient  foreigners,  due 
to  various  steamships  in  port,  and  the  customary  meth¬ 
od  of  sending  funds  to  their  homes  abroad  is  by  the 
purchase  of  foreign  exchange  drafts  drawn  on  their 
local  towns.  We  are  prepared  to  furnish  such  drafts 


12 


on  moment  notice  whether  the  draft  be  payable  in 
Fiancs,  Lires,  Pounds,  Drachmas  or  other  money. 

3.  Remitting  funds  by  cable  or  otherwise  to  any  city  in 
the  world.  We  can,  through  our  connections  in  all 
countries,  effect  transfer  of  funds  within  twenty-four 
hours,  usually  in  less  time. 

4.  Buying  and  selling  foreign  currency  at  current  ex¬ 
change  rates. 

NOTE — There  are  on  all  steamships  while  in 
port,  foreigners  who  accumulate  various  kinds  of 
currency  and  when  in  America  they  usually  ex¬ 
change  this  currency  for  American  dollars.  This 
bank  buys  these  currencies  which  immediately  ef¬ 
fects  the  necessary  exchange.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  foreign  steamships  leave  this  port  there  are 
foreigners  who  have  a  surplus  of  American  dol¬ 
lars  and  wish  to  convert  them  into  currency  of 
the  next  country  at  which  the  steamship  will  call. 
We  are  prepared  to  convert  their  dollars  into  the 
the  desired  currency  without  delay. 

5.  Remitting  steamship  freight  collections  abroad  or  to 
New  York  Agencies. 

NOTE — When  steamships  arrive  in  the  port  of 
Wilmington  and  discharge  their  cargo  and  freight 
charges  are  collected  the  Captains  wish  to  remit 
these  collections  to  the  home  office  of  the  Steam¬ 
ship  Company.  The  customary  method  is  by  re¬ 
mitting  to  New  York  by  wire  or  to  their  foreign 
office  by  cable.  This  service  is  essential  in  that 
the  steamship  Captain  can  settle  with  his  Com¬ 
pany  immediately  and  relieve  himself  of  the  ne¬ 
cessity  of  accumulating  surplus  funds  on  board 
ship. 

6.  Obtaining  funds  for  furnishing  pay-rolls  to  steamers. 

NOTE — There  are  occasions  when  steamships  call¬ 
ing  at  Wilmington  for  cargoes  need  funds  with 
which  to  pay  off  the  crew.  One  of  the  services 
of  this  bank  is  in  obtaining  funds  by  cable  or  tele¬ 
graph  for  the  steamship  Captain  and  subsequently 
making  up  his  payroll  in  the  desired  denomina¬ 
tions. 


13 


If  there  is  any  further  information  which  we  can  give  you  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  services  which  this  bank  stands  ready  at  all  times  to 
give,  please  give  us  the  opportunity  to  furnish  such. 

Very  truly  yours, 

(signed)  I.  B.  GRAINGER, 

Assistant  Cashier. 

FERTILIZER  BUSINESS 

We  asked  Mr.  J.  G.  McCormick  of  this  city  and  general  counsel  of 
the  Acme  Manufacturing  Company,  a  man  thoroughly  posted  on  freight 
rates  and  than  whom  no  man  in  the  city  and  few  in  the  State  is  more 
familiar  with  the  fertilizer  business,  for  a  statement  on  the  fertilizer 
business  as  it  is  and  as  it  might  be  potentially  with  the  relief  we  are 
seeking  and  here  is  his  answer: 

'‘ADVANTAGES  OF  WILMINGTON — As  to  importing  fertilizer 
materials  and  as  to  their  manufacture  and  distribution. 

“Wilmington  is  well  located,  from  the  standpoint  of  importers 
of  fertilizer  materials,  as  well  as  fertilizer  manufacturers.  If  this 
were  not  true,  the  three  largest  importers  of  nitrate  of  soda  would 
not  advertise  it  as  one  of  their  ports  and  distributing  centers.  Wil¬ 
mington  has  twelve  fertilizer  plants,  this  includes  two  cotton  oil 
mill  and  fertilizer  plants  combined.  Even  with  present  terminal  fa¬ 
cilities  Wilmington  is  today  the  third  American  city  in  fertilizer 
imports  and  manufacturing  and  beginning  with  1914,  it  has  shown 
the  largest  percentage  of  increase,  both  in  imports  and  in  distribu¬ 
tion  of  fertilizers  and  fertilizer  materials  of  any  American  port. 
Nitrate  of  soda  imported  from  Chile,  potash  from  Germany,  sulphate 
of  ammonia  from  Scotland  and  other  countries,  blood  and  other  ni¬ 
trogenous  materials  from  the  Argentine  Republic  and  elsewhere, 
fish  scrap  from  Beaufort,  N.  C.,  the  lower  Cape  Fear,  Chesapeake 
Bay,  Long  Island  and  also  foreign  countries,  sulphur  from  Texas  and 
Louisiana,  phosphate  rock  from  Florida  are  among  the  fertilizer  ma¬ 
terials  in  large  quantities,  which  annually  seek  the  port  of  Wil¬ 
mington. 

“The  fertilizer  industry  is  not  only  a  distinct  asset  to  Wilming- 1 
ton  but  also  to  the  entire  state  of  North  Carolina.  Additional  termi¬ 
nal  facilities  here  would  increase  the  incoming  tonnage  of  such  ma 
terials,  and  would  decrease  the  cost  of  fertilizers  to  the  consumer  a*( 
larger  and  more  modern  terminals  would  result  in  deeper  water 
larger  vessels,  competitive  stevedoring  as  well  as  competitive  termi 
nal  service  and,  eventually  lowered  terminal  charges  and  also  in 
creased  efficiency  in  terminal  service. 


14 


“Wilmington  is  the  only  North  Carolina  port  available  for  the 
feitilizer  industiy.  There  may  be  isolated  development  elsewhere, 
but  not  continuous  and  increasing — under  practically  all  business 
conditions  as  at  Wilmington.  With  improved  agricultural  conditions, 
the  industiy  heie  will  rapidly  increase  beyond  its  present  propor¬ 
tions. 

The  fact  that  it  is  already  here,  and  came  here  when  every 
other  North  Carolina  city  was  open  to  it,  is  of  itself  almost  proof 
positive  that  it  is  the  only  logical  place  for  fertilizer  imports  and 
distribution. 

“Fertilizer  plants  in  Greensboro,  Raleigh,  Selma,  Wilson,  Laur- 
inburg,  Charlotte  and  other  North  and  South  Carolina  points,  bring 
practically  all  their  imports  through  Wilmington,  and  if  rail  rates 
from  Wilmington  to  many  Southern  Railway  points  were  upon  an 
equitable  basis  the  area  of  distribution  could  easily  be  extended  as 
far  west  as  Waynesville.  At  one  time,  with  more  favorable  freight 
rates,  fertilizers  were  shipped  in  large  quantities  into  Georgia  and 
portions  of  Virginia. 

“If  cargoes  from  all  ports  of  the  world  could  be  assured  a  berth 
at  Wilmington — which  would  be  the  result  with  additional  and  com¬ 
petitive  terminal  facilities — interior  fertilizer  manufacturers  and  im¬ 
porters  of  fertilizer  materials  would  largely  increase  their  volume  of 
business  through  the  port  of  Wilmington,  with  resultant  advantages 
to  every  North  Carolina  fertilizer  consumer. 

“It  may  be  argued  that  terminals  can  be  built  elsewhere  and  that 
business  will  follow  the  terminals,  but  adequate  terminal  facilities 
are  not  the  only  factor  in  fertilizer  development.  A  landlocked  har¬ 
bor,  sufficient  radiating  railways;  terminal  facilities  and  proximity 
to  a  large  and  increasing  fertilizer-consuming  area  must  all  unite  in 
the  development.  Only  at  Wilmington,  can  the  combination  of  these 
factors  be  found. 

“To  stifle  the  fertilizer  industry  here  would  seriously  injure  our 
fish  scrap  factories,  oil  mills,  machine  shops,  bag  and  printing  estab¬ 
lishments,  aside  from  the  damage  to  the  farmer  himself,  as  well  as 
those  engaged  in  the  industry  itself. 

“With  what  is  now  here  and  with  what  can  be  developed  here — 
both  considered — nothing  else  comparable  to  Wilmington,  so  far  as 
the  fertilizer  industry  is  concerned,  can  be  offered.” 

MOLASSES 

The  largest  importer  of  molasses  states  that  they  were  handling  a 
large  volume  of  business  now  but  that  it  would  be  immensely  increased 
if  fair  freight  rates  were  established  and  that  the  benefit  of  the  increase 
would  inure  directly  to  the  consumers  all  over  the  State. 


15 


UNITED  STATES  CUSTOMS  HOUSE 


An  asset  of  incalculable  value  is  the  massive  and  artistic  Customs 
House,  which  is  a  fundamental  adjunct  of  any  port  and  without  which  no 
community  can  truly  function  as  a  “port”  in  the  broad  meaning  of  the 
term.  Erected  at  a  cost  of  $600,000.00  in  1916,  and  which  to  duplicate 
today  would  involve  an  expenditure  of  an  amount  in  excess  of  $1,000,- 
000.00,  it  houses  among  other  agencies  contained  therein,  the  office  of 
the  Collector  of  Customs,  whose  duty  it  is  to  collect  the  customs  charges 
on  articles  and  commodities  imported  into  this  port.  These  commodi¬ 
ties  are  principally  raw  fertilizer  materials  from  South  America,  mo¬ 
lasses  and  cement.  In  the  office  of  the  Collector  of  Customs  all  vessels 
are  “entered”  upon  arrival  and  “cleared”  upon  their  departure. 

The  Customs  House  also  contains  the  United  States  District  Court 
Rooms,  and  the  office  of  the  Clerk  of  the  United  States  District  Court, 
and  a  marshal  and  a  United  States  Commissioner  are  on  duty  at  all 
times.  Here  members  of  ships’  crews  can  come  and  demand  redress  for 
any  injustice  sustained  at  the  hands  of  a  Master  of  a  vessel  and  here 
actions  at  law  of  a  maritime  nature  may  be  instituted  and  relief  granted 
with  despatch,  which  speedy  relief  is  essential  in  all  cases  of  this  type,  as 
merchant  ships  are  distinctly  Birds  of  Passage  and  once  they  have  de¬ 
parted  and  are  without  the  three-mile  limit,  as  internationally  agreed, 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  court  does  not  apply. 

There  is  located  in  this  building  the  office  of  the  shipping  commis¬ 
sioner,  before  whom  crews’  articles  of  agreement  are  signed  and  in 
whose  presence  crews  are  paid  off.  An  immigration  officer  is  on  duty 
to  prevent  any  unauthorized  person  from  putting  his  foot  upon  our 
shores  unless  he  or  she  can  meet  the  various  tests  which  are  applied  and 
provided  the  quota  of  their  nation  has  not  been  exhausted. 

A  federal  and  state  employment  bureau  is  maintained  therein  where 
members  of  ships’  crews  can  be  obtained  by  vessels  in  need  of  them.  The 
offices  of  the  United  States  District  Engineer  are  located  here  and  the 
United  States  Public  Health  agencies,  here  located,  are  open  gratis  to  the 
crews  of  American  merchant  ships. 

This  beautiful  structure  houses  a  large  force  of  federal  employees 
and  was  built  with  the  idea  in  mind  that  Wilmington  would  some  day  be¬ 
come  the  great  port  that  the  builders  believed  it  would  become,  and  it 
is  amply  able  to  take  care  of  the  large  expansion  in  the  volume  of  busi¬ 
ness  which  will  inevitably  result  if  the  State  of  North  Carolina  will  pro¬ 
vide  public  terminal  facilities  at  this  point.  The  sore  spot  in  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  the  people  of  Wilmington  is  that  our  port  is  not  utilized 
physically  by  the  people  of  the  State  in  handling  the  tremendous  volume 
of  business  which  passes  through  our  local  Customs  House,  which  in¬ 
cludes  all  of  the  tobacco  from  Italy,  Turkey  and  Greece,  the  raw  sugar 
from  Cuba  and  the  cigarette  paper  from  France,  and  the  Tonca  beans 


16 


from  Trinidad,  British  West  Indies,  which  is  brought  into  Durham  and 
Winston-Salem  and  placed  in  Government  warehouses  at  these  places  be¬ 
fore  being  delivered  to  the  manufacturers. 

BONDED  WAREHOUSE 

There  is  located  in  the  local  Customs  House  at  Wilmington,  also  a 
bonded  warehouse,  with  a  cargo  space  of  6,000  feet.  The  customs  re¬ 
ceipts  for  the  year  1922  totalled  $5,668,130.22. 

VICE  CONSULS 

In  Wilmington  there  are  located  Vice-Consulates  of  two  foreign  coun¬ 
tries,  where  members  of  ships’  crews  of  these  foreign  nations  can  protest 
through  their  Consuls  to  their  Ambassadors,  and  through  them  to  the 
State  Department  of  our  Government  and  demand  relief  from  any  wrongs 
perpetrated  against  them,  and  through  these  consulates  aid  is  furnished 
these  needy  foreigners  who  happen  to  be  temporarily  upon  our  soil  and 
who  have  not  yet  become  American  citizens. 

CEMENT 

A  leading  dealer  in  cement  has  this  to  say: 

“Referring  to  your  letter  of  the  26th  instant  we  are  glad  to  comply 
with  your  request  and  we  submit  the  following  brief,  viz: — 

“The  advantages  of  Wilmington  over  Southport  as  a  Port  for  the 
receiving,  storing  and  distributing  of  cement  are  many  but  we  would 
like  to  point  out  three  major  reasons. 

“In  the  first  place,  a  Port  is  a  haven,  a  refuge,  for  man,  ship  and 
cargo  after  a  voyage  at  sea,  which  is  always  attended  by  danger  from 
winds  and  storms,  and  the  land-locked  harbor  of  Wilmington  has  all  the 
elements  of  safety  which  Southport  has  not. 

“The  second  reason  is  that  cement  is  a  commodity  that  must  be 
kept  absolutely  dry,  which  means  that  it  must  not  only  be  kept  from  con¬ 
tact  with  water  but  also  from  a  damp  atmosphere,  and  Southport,  which 
is  open  to  the  Ocean  winds,  does  not  give  the  protection  afforded  at 
Wilmington,  which  is  far  enough  inland  to  be  protected  from  this  atmos¬ 
pheric  condition,  yet  has  all  advantages  of  a  port. 

“The  third  reason,  and  by  no  means  the  least,  is  that  the  Port  of 
Wilmington  is  connected  with  the  Railroad  Terminals  with  miles  of 
tracks  for  switching  and  whose  lines  reach  out  from  Wilmington  in  all 
directions,  not  only  over  our  State  but  to  all  sections  of  the  country,  and 
in  addition  to  all  these  advantages  the  saving  of  freight  charges  from 
Southport  to  Wilmington  would  be  considerable  and  certainly  worth  sav¬ 
ing  to  the  people  of  our  own  State  for  whose  benefit  the  State  Port  is 
to  be  established. 


17 


“We  believe  that  the  advantages  of  Wilmington  as  a  port  for  hand¬ 
ling  cement  over  Southport  are  obvious  and  not  to  be  overcome. 

Yours  very  truly, 

(signed)  W.  B.  THORPE.” 

AGRICULTURAL  POSSIBILITIES 

We  asked  Mr.  Hugh  MacRae  to  prepare  a  paper  on  trucking  and 
agriculture  and  here  is  his  reply : 

“I  am  glad  to  note  you  are  preparing  supplementary  arguments  to 
be  presented  to  the  State  Port  Commission  in  the  interest  of  Wilmington 
as  a  State  Port. 

“I  would  be  glad  to  undertake  to  prepare  the  paper  you  suggest  but 
am  just  closing  up  my  work  in  order  to  go  to  Holland  and  Denmark  for 
a  stay  of  two  months  in  order  to  study  matters  relating  to  diversified 
farming,  co-operation  and  land  settlement;  and  will  not  have  time,  there¬ 
fore,  to  take  up  any  new  work  which  would  require  careful  thought. 

“If  we  copy  the  systems  of  agriculture  which  are  being  followed  in 
Denmark,  Holland  and  our  own  Western  States,  I  feel  sure  that  Eastern 
North  Carolina  will  have  a  remarkable  future  and  the  wealth  thus  cre¬ 
ated  will  be  the  cause  of  rapid  development  in  the  City  of  Wilmington. 

“Your  study  of  the  subject  has  made  it  clear  to  you  that  a  port 
needs  very  many  things  besides  depth  of  water.  The  Port  of  Los  An¬ 
geles,  eighteen  miles  from  the  Pacific,  is  successfully  competing  with 
San  Francisco,  which  is  right  on  one  of  the  finest  harbors  in  the  world. 

“This  is  only  possible  because  of  the  fact  that  Los  Angeles  is  a  won¬ 
derfully  progressive  city,  and  shows  how  much  of  a  factor  the  business 
facilities  and  progressiveness  are  in  making  a  port. 

“Today  Wilmington  has  far  more  of  the  facilities  essential  to  a 
State  Port  than  any  other  point  in  North  Carolina,  and  with  the  same 
expenditure  and  effort  could  fulfill  all  the  requirements  of  a  State  Port 
probably  ten  to  twenty  years  sooner  than  any  other  place  in  North  Caro¬ 
lina  could  do. 

“I  suggest  that  you  get  a  copy  of  the  report  which  Mr.  Homer  L. 
Ferguson  made  to  Mr.  Chas.  F.  Piez,  Chairman  of  the  Shipping  Board, 
recommending  Wilmington  as  the  best  place  in  the  South  for  the  build¬ 
ing  of  ships.  Mr.  Ferguson  probably  kept  a  copy  of  this  report  which  he 
will  let  you  have. 

“To  me  the  most  striking  proof  of  Wilmington’s  advantages  as  a 
port  was  given  when  the  Morris  Fertilizer  Company  selected  it  after  the 
experts  of  the  company  had  examined  all  the  other  Southern  ports.  They 
took  into  consideration  all  the  many  factors  which  are  essential,  but  per¬ 
haps  one  of  them  was  that  Wilmington  now  has  splendid  facilities  for  dis- 


18 


tribution  and  a  fine  back  country  tributary  to  it  which  would  demand  the 
products  of  their  company.  I  believe  Mr.  Martin  would  be  in  a  position 
to  give  you  some  of  the  other  reasons, 

“Again  referring  to  the  agricultural  possibilities,  would  say  that  we 
have  found  by  actual  surveys  within  fifty  miles  of  Wilmington  there  is 
more  than  1,000,000  acres  of  the  finest  type  of  soil  available,  which  is 
particularly  suited  to  diversified  intensive  agriculture  and  the  dairying 
industry.  In  this  connection  too,  the  factor  of  transportation  facilities 
already  provided  is  of  vital  importance. 

“It  is  not  advantageous  to  great  industries  to  locate  in  isolated  com¬ 
munities  with  a  view  to  “growing  up  with  the  country.”  All  employees 
of  such  industries,  as  well  as  the  officials  connected  with  them,  like  to 
be  where  there  are  social  advantages.  The  ports  selected  in  other  States 
will  bear  this  in  mind,  and  a  North  Carolina  port  would  have  to  compete 
with  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Norfolk,  Charleston, 
Savannah,  Jacksonville,  Mobile  and  NewT  Orleans. 

“If  Wilmington  were  twice  the  size  it  is,  it  would  have  a  better 
showing,  but  it  is  the  best  that  North  Carolina  can  do,  and  the  least 
it  should  do. 

Yours  very  truly, 

(signed)  HUGH  MacRAE.” 

ADVANTAGES  OF  WILMINGTON  AS  A  HOME 

It  is  important  to  consider  the  operation  of  terminals  as  well  as 
building  them  and  the  convenience  of  the  vessel.  For  both  purposes  men 
of  technical  knowledge  are  necessary  and  the  comfort  of  the  men  and 
their  families  must  be  considered  or  they  will  not  stay. 

In  this  connection  we  quote  passages  from  a  letter  written  in  1918 
by  Mr.  Homer  L.  Ferguson,  President  and  Treasurer  of  the  Newport 
News  Shipbuilding  &  Drydock  Co.,  and  probably  the  best  posted  man  on 
such  subjects  in  this  country,  to  Mr.  Charles  Piez,  who  at  that  time  was 
Vice-President  and  General  Manager  of  the  Emergency  Fleet  Corporation. 

“On  April  11th,  1918,  I  sent  you  the  following  telegram,  ‘I  consider 
Wilmington  the  best  location  for  a  four  or  six  way  steel  hull  shipbuild¬ 
ing  yard  of  the  various  Southern  cities  visited  recently.  Two  good  sites 
are  offered  there,  I  would  personally  prefer  the  one  on  the  lower  edge  of 
the  city  (that  is  the  site  that  has  been  tendered  to  the  State)  as  being 
more  convenient.  I  was  in  Wilmington  Tuesday  and  Wednesday.  We 
looked  over  a  number  of  shipbuilding  sites  and  inquired  into  housing 
conditions,  transportation,  power,  etc.  I  personally  prefer  the  site  in 
the  city.  My  reasons  for  thus  preferring  it  are  that  it  is  immediately 
adjacent  to  a  railroad  connection  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line;  is  so  lo¬ 
cated  that  a  majority  of  the  men  can  walk  to  work  and  a  great  many  ot 
them  go  home  to  lunch,  and  there  would  be  a  considerable  saving.  Wil- 


19 


mington  has  a  population  of  30,000,  one-half  white  and  one-half  colored, 
and  is  the  best  looking,  best  kept  city  of  its  size  I  have  ever  seen.  The 
fresh  water  of  the  Cape  Fear  river  is  a  distinct  advantage.  The  health 
conditions  are  reported  as  excellent  and  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  a 
force  of  2,000  or  3,000  men  or  even  4,000  can  be  built  up  in  a  com¬ 
paratively  short  time  with  a  minimum  delay  and  expense.  The  attitude 
of  the  citizens  was  exemplary  and  no  effort  was  made  by  any  interested 
parties  to  have  their  own  sites  given  preference’.” 

The  conditions  are  exactly  the  same  now.  We  are  prepared  to  take 
care  of  a  largely  increased  population  because  many  homes,  built  for 
shipyard  workers  are  now  available. 

In  order  to  keep  labor  satisfied,  and  we  mean  labor  in  the  broad 
sense  of  all  those  who  earn  a  living  either  by  head  or  hands,  it  is  abso¬ 
lutely  essential  that  they  and  their  families  have  comfort,  convenience, 
some  luxuries,  perhaps,  facilities  for  education  and  recreation  and  op¬ 
portunity  to  attend  the  church  of  their  choice.  Particularly  is  this  true 
with  those  who,  as  doubtless  will  be  the  case  with  a  large  number  in  any 
sudden  accession  to  population,  will  have  come  from  places  where  all 
these  advantages  were  available.  Experience  has  proven  that  the  call 
of  home  and  previous  environment,  name  it  nostalgia  or  homesickness  or 
what  you  will,  is  almost  irresistible  and  to  offset  this  perfectly  natural 
instinct  it  is  necessary  that  the  new  location  offer  as  many  items  of  com¬ 
fort  as  may  be  possible.  Wilmington  has  them  all  in  abundance.  It  is 
a  beautiful  well  kept  city  of  40,000  people,  conservative,  well  behaved 
and  orderly.  It  has  seventy-five  miles  of  paved  and  macadam  streets 
over  which  vehicular  traffic  is  pleasant  and  easy.  There  are  numbers 
of  small,  well-built  houses  that  may  be  rented  at  reasonable  rates  or  pur¬ 
chased  on  terms  which  are  convenient  to  the  buyer.  Hundreds  are  now 
buying  homes  in  this  manner.  It  is  well  known  that  the  property-owning 
citizens  are  the  best  citizens  because  necessarily  they  are  personally  inter¬ 
ested  in  good  government.  In  the  suburbs  on  the  trolley  line  or  on  hard 
roads,  are  numerous  places  where  those  whose  tastes  are  so  inclined  may 
have  small  orchards,  vineyards,  vegetable  gardens,  chickens,  etc.,  and 
such  things  are  conducive  to  pleasurable  and  economic  living.  Be  it  re¬ 
membered  that  our  local  climate  is  so  tempered  by  the  Gulf  Stream, 
which  makes  close  inshore,  and  our  rainfall  is  so  evenly  distributed  that 
it  is  practicable  to  have  something  growing  out  of  doors  for  about  240 
days  in  the  year,  making  small  farms  extremely  attractive  and  profitable 
and  a  considerable  factor  in  reducing  living  expenses  to  those  who  live 
on  these  little  places,  and  have  positions  or  jobs  in  the  City. 

EDUCATIONAL  FACILITIES 

The  educational  facilities  of  New  Hanover  County  are  remarkable. 
This  county  of  which  Wilmington  is  by  far  the  greater  part  so  far  as 


20 


population  is  concerned,  is  spending  during  the  coming  year  $412  000  00 
on  «iucat,o„.  The  total  enrollment  in  the  county,  hota  race,  ta  “  “ 
buildings  are  commodious,  safe  and  convenient.  The  teachers  are 
the  best  that  can  be  obtained.  The  high  school  compares  favorably  n 
curriculum  and  in  the  physical  property  with  any  in  the  entire  South 
A  diploma  from  the  High  School  entitles  the  holder  to  any  college  in 
the  United  States  that  admits  by  certificate  including  both  the  Military 
and  Naval  Academies.  Pupils  residing  beyond  the  confines  of  the  Citv 
are  transported,  free  of  charge,  in  automobile  busses,  to  and  from  the 
High  School  daily.  So  far  as  schools  are  concerned  there  is  nothing  more 
o  be  desired,  except  that  they  keep  pace  with  modern  ideas,  as  they  are 
doing,  and  be  always  prepared,  as  they  are  and  by  law  will  have  to  be  to 
take  care  of  every  child  that  olfers. 


We  have  a  modern  fire  department,  all  the  apparatus  being  motor 
driven  and  operate  a  fire  boat  stationed  in  the  heart  of  the  business  sec¬ 
tion  and  an  unlimited  supply  of  water.  We  mention  this  because  it 

makes  for  cheaper  insurance  rates,  an  item  which  enters  into  every 
business  calculation. 


CHURCHES 

We  have  several  churches  of  each  of  the  major  denominations,  lo¬ 
cated  in  convenient  places  all  over  the  city  and  county.  The  Presbyte¬ 
rians,  Episcopalians,  Baptists  and  Methodists  are  especially  well  equipped 
with  up-to-date  Sunday  School  buildings,  Guild  Rooms,  and  parish  houses. 
There  are  a  number  of  ministers  here  of  marked  ability,  eloquence  and 
religious  fervor. 

RECREATION  AND  PLEASURE 

Opportunities  for  recreation  and  pleasure  here  are  manifold.  In 
addition  to  moving  picture  houses,  library,  play  grounds  and  such  things 
as  are  usual  to  a  city  of  this  size,  New  Hanover  County  has  a  thirty- 
mile  beach  front  at  any  point  on  which  surf  bathing  is  safe  and  fishing 
is  good.  There  are  five  well  defined  points  that  have  been  selected  as 
especially  well  adapted  to  these  purposes,  the  best  known  and  most  popular 
of  these  at  this  time  being  Wrightsville  Beach,  which  is  annually  visited 
by  thousands  of  citizens  of  this  and  other  Southern  States.  We  also 
have  Carolina  Beach,  Wilmington  Beach,  Kure  Beach,  each  having  at¬ 
tractions  peculiar  to  itself  and  Fort  Fisher  Beach  located  at  a  beautiful 
spot  replete  with  historical  interest.  These  beaches  are  all  easily  ac¬ 
cessible.  New  Hanover  County  has  over  100  miles  of  hard  roads,  many 
of  which  are  picturesque  and  of  much  scenic  beauty,  one  being  almost 
a  perfect  bower  for  a  large  part  of  its  length.  Perhaps  these  things  may 
seem  irrelevant  and  unimportant,  but  it  is  such  things,  in  the  aggre¬ 
gate,  that  make  the  difference  between  satisfaction  and  discontent, 
between  peace  and  unrest,  between  happiness  and  misery. 


21 


It  is  such  things  that  make  a  place  desirable  to  live  in  or  otherwise. 
It  is  such  things  that  tend  to  keep  men  happy  in  their  work  and  satisfied 
with  their  positions,  and  since  every  business  is  dependent  on  the  attitude 
of  the  men  who  are  engaged  in  it,  it  is  such  things  that  make  the  differ¬ 
ence  between  success  and  failure. 

HOTELS 

With  the  increased  business  which  would  doubtless  immediately  fol¬ 
low  the  building  of  terminals  would  come  an  influx  of  strangers  and 
transients  whose  impressions  of  the  city  and  whose  desire  to  continue 
commercial  relations  with  it,  depend  to  an  almost  incredible  extent  on 
their  opinion  of  the  city.  This  opinion  is  almost  universally  formed  by  the 
hotel  accommodations  afforded.  This  condition  has  just  been  met  in 
Wilmington  by  the  announcement  that  a  contract  has  been  signed  and 
construction  will  begin  at  once  on  one  of  the  best  and  most  conveniently 
located  corners  of  the  down  town  section.  The  appointments  of  this  hotel 
will  be  modern  in  every  way,  comfortable  and  luxurious,  and  it  is  a  tre¬ 
mendous  acquisition,  as  a  civic  asset.  In  short — Wilmington  is  an  estab¬ 
lished  city  with  an  established  trade,  all  lines  of  business,  wholesale  and 
retail,  being  represented  so  that  there  would  be  no  interference  or  dis¬ 
ruption  of  its  ordinary  smooth  running  wheels  of  order,  business  or  living 
conditions  by  the  addition  of  several  thousand  inhabitants  to  its  popula¬ 
tion.  The  same  satisfactory  conditions  do  not  obtain  with  our  neighbor 
down  the  river. 

MARITIME  NECESSITIES  LOCATED  IN  WILMINGTON 

A  port  requires  a  large  floating  labor  population  so  that  if  a  number 
of  stevedores  were  required  at  one  time  this  could  be  easily  obtained. 
Much  of  our  present  business  is  seasonal,  such  as  cotton  and  fertilizer 
and  Wilmington  always  has  an  ample  supply  of  labor  that  can  be  secured 
on  short  notice,  thus  obviating  the  expense  and  annoyance  of  delay  in 
loading  and  discharging  cargoes.  The  work  of  ship  carpenters  is  highly 
technical  and  specialized  and  we  have  a  number  of  them  here.  A  car¬ 
penter  could  be  the  best  kind  of  house  builder  or  joiner  workman  and  be 
perfectly  useless  in  repairing  a  ship.  There  is  another  line  of  business  of 
great  importance  to  ships  and  requires  much  specialized  knowledge  and 
experience  on  the  part  of  those  who  are  engaged  in  it.  That  is  ship 
chandlery  or  the  furnishing  of  vessels  with  tackle,  apparel,  stores  and 
such  things  as  are  peculiar  to  the  use  of  vessels.  An  ordinary  merchant 
knows  little  or  nothing  of  these  things.  We  have  several  of  these  stores, 
long  established  concerns  and  while  it  would  not  be  impossible  for  them 
to  transplant  themselves  and  their  establishments,  they  would  doubtless 
be  extremely  loth  to  do  so.  The  same  thing  applies  to  riggers,  caulkers, 
sailmakers,  brokers,  etc. 


22 


It  is  also  possible  in  Wilmington  to  secure  on  short  notice  marine 
engineers,  oilers,  cooks  and  sailors,  a  matter  of  great  convenience  to 
vessels. 

APPROACHING  HARBOR  AT  NIGHT 

It  has  been  said  that  pilots  will  bring  vessels  into  and  out  of  South- 
port  at  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night  and  that  they  will  not  take  them 
up  the  Cape  Fear  river  or  return  at  night.  As  a  matter  of  fact  a  pilot 
is  always  governed  by  the  draft  of  water  the  ship  draws,  and  tidal  and 
weather  conditions,  especially  at  night.  With  good  range  lights,  such 
as  we  have  on  the  Cape  Fear  river,  it  is  easier  and  safer  to  bring  a 
vessel  up  the  river  than  it  is  to  bring  her  over  the  Bar.  In  case  of 
trouble,  that  is  if  a  vessel  grounded  on  the  Bar,  it  is  almost  inevitable 
that  she  would  be  damaged  or  possibly  lost,  whereas  if  she  were  grounded 
in  the  river  she  would  probably  be  floated  off  on  the  next  tide  without 
damage.  Of  course  this  particular  thing  is  not  an  argument  for  Wil¬ 
mington.  The  point  is,  neither  is  it  an  argument  for  Southport.  The 
able  advocate  of  Southport  made  this  statement — 

LARGE  FREIGHT  VESSELS 

“Any  freight  ship  in  the  world  can  enter  it  (that  is  the  harbor  of 
Southport)  at  any  time  in  the  24  hours  of  every  day  in  the  year.  It  can 
anchor  in  good  holding  ground  with  ample  swinging  space,  however  many 
vessels  may  be  in  the  harbor.  It  will  not  crowd  out  or  endanger  other 
shipping  however  numerous.  It  will  be  always  protected  from  storms 
and  tidal  waves.  It  has  entered  a  harbor  of  the  first  class  by  interna¬ 
tional  definition  because  it  has  more  than  30  feet  of  water  at  all  stages 
of  the  tide.” 

We  are  now  working  under  the  30-foot  project  on  the  bar.  This 
means  that  we  have  30  feet  of  water  on  the  bar  at  mean  low  water.  W  e 
are  willing  to  admit  that  this  is  about  the  maximum  dratt  ioi  a  freight 
Yggggl^  but  no  pilot  would  dare  bring  a  vessel  of  that  draft  e\en  under 
favorable  weather  conditions  until  the  flood  was  well  staited,  possibly 
two  hours.  On  the  ebb  it  would  be  necessary  to  wait  even  longer  because 
a  vessel  coming  in  can  be  handled  better  on  the  flood  but  taking  both 
together  with  fair  weather  it  would  take  just  about  one-half  the  time 
when  a  thirty-foot  vessel  could  be  brought  in.  From  this  bad  and  thick 
weather  must  be  deducted  because  no  pilot  would  attempt  to  negotiate 
the  bar  channel  with  a  vessel  of  that  particular  size,  especially  at  night. 
It  would  make  no  difference  if  there  were  forty  or  fifty  feet  of  water 
inside ;  it  is  necessarily  regulated  by  the  depth  available  on  the  bar. 

ANCHORAGE  BASIN  AT  SOUTHPORT 

In  regard  to  ample  swinging  space  however  many  ships  may  be  in 
the  harbor,  it  is  customary  and  necessary  now  to  keep  a  pilot  on  deep 

23 


loaded  vessels  at  anchor  in  Southport  because  when  the  tide  turns  they 
must  go  ahead  on  the  wheel  so  the  vessel  will  have  room  to  swing.  It 
is  our  recollection  and  we  are  going  to  ask  Captain  Adkins  about  this, 
that  during  the  war,  two  interned  German  vessels,  the  Kiel  and  the  Ni- 
caria,  were  anchored  at  Southport  for  some  portion  of  time  of  their  in¬ 
ternment  and  complaint  was  made  that  they  were  a  menace  to  navigation. 
The  fact  is  that  no  ship  that  draws  as  much  as  twenty-five  feet  of  water 
is  safe  at  anchor  in  Southport  harbor  from  swinging  at  anchor  when  the 
tide  turns.  This  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  pilots  are  kept  on  board 
for  the  purpose  of  helping  them  swing  and  even  then  some  of  them  touch. 
So  that  under  existing  conditions  with  the  depth  of  water  at  the  site 
selected  by  Southport  as  suitable  for  a  State  Port,  it  would  be  impossible 
to  dock  a  vessel  drawing  over  25  feet  of  water  whereas  we  have  just 
seen  that  the  largest  freight  vessels  draw  thirty  feet  of  water.  Most 
of  the  docks  at  Wilmington  can  take  a  vessel  drawing  more  than  that 
and  the  vessels  could  dock  with  considerably  less  difficulty,  as  has  been 
shown,  on  account  of  winds  and  tide. 

VESSELS  PARTLY  UNLOADED  AT  OTHER  PORTS 

On  page  87  of  the  Southport  brief  is  a  list  of  vessels  which  it  is 
said  were  compelled  to  touch  at  Norfolk,  Charleston  or  Savannah  before 
coming  to  Wilmington  on  account  of  insufficient  water.  This  argument 
loses  all  its  force  when  taken  in  connection  with  the  letter  that  accom¬ 
panied  it  which  made  this  statement:  “In  the  case  of  the  Potash  ships, 
a  great  many  of  them  did  this  on  account  of  expecting  to  be  ordered  to 
the  factories  beyond  Wilmington,  the  depth  at  these  points  being  only 
about  16  feet  on  the  North  East  river  and  about  19  feet  and  6  inches  at 
Navassa  on  the  Cape  Fear  river.”  The  fact  that  our  Cape  Fear  river 
project  reads  “At  and  below  Wilmington”  explains  why  these  vessels 
could  not  get  to  points  beyond  the  effect  of  the  project.  This  project  is 
26  feet  and  an  article  in  the  Wilmington  Star  a  day  or  two  ago  made 
the  assertion,  on  information  obtained  from  the  Engineers’  office,  that 
we  now  have  26  feet  the  entire  length  of  the  channel. 

I  do  not  aver  of  my  own  knowledge  but  I  have  been  informed  that 
it  is  not  an  uncommon  practice  for  a  vessel  to  load  for  two  points  anyway. 

In  the  same  letter  is  a  list  of  vessels  of  which  five  had  trouble.  I 
must  speak  of  these  specifically.  The  first  was  over  thirteen  years  ago 
and  she  was  drawing  26  feet  of  water.  Since  the  channel  has  been  much 
improved  since  that  time,  that  could  not  occur  now  and  need  not  enter 
into  our  calculations.  The  second  went  ashore  at  No.  2  Buoy.  This 
buoy  is  at  sea  and  the  letter  specifically  states  in  regard  to  this  vessel 
“No  trouble  in  the  river.”  The  third  rubbed  bottom  while  passing  No.  9 
dredge.  My  recollection  of  this  occurrence  was  that  the  dredge  was 
partly  in  the  channel  and  forced  the  Dorothy  out  of  the  channel.  The 


24 


fourth  says  “Grounded  at  Southport”  and  the  fifth  says  “Grounded  at 
Quarantine  Station,  Southport”  which  would  seem  to  substantiate  our 
argument  that  the  much  vaunted  depth  of  water  is  not  there.  We 
have  a  channel  300  feet  wide  and  26  feet  deep  all  the  way  from  the 
Ocean  to  the  City,  well  marked  with  buoys  for  use  by  day  and  range 
lights  for  use  by  night.  Any  one  of  the  licensed  pilots  can  bring  a 
vessel  drawing  26  feet  of  water,  in  perfect  safety;  indeed,  by  taking 

advantage  of  the  tide  even  deeper  draft  vessels  can  be  safely  brought 
up  the  river. 


UNPROTECTED  HARBOR  AT  SOUTHPORT 

Touching  the  statement  “it  (Southport  harbor)  will  always  be  pro¬ 
tected  from  storms  and  tidal  waves,”  we  have  already  referred  to  this 
mildly,  but  to  be  more  specific — During  the  80’s  in  a  violent  storm  which 
prevailed  at  Southport,  a  Spanish  bark  was  overturned  at  the  Quarantine 
Station,  inside  the  harbor  at  Southport.  This  bark  drifted  around  the 
harbor  for  months,  was  later  salvaged  and  was  placed  in  operation 
again  under  the  name  of  the  Lydia  Peschau. 

In  another  storm  during  the  70’s,  while  in  Southport  harbor,  the 
pilot  boat,  Uriah  Timmons ,  was  sunk  under  the  bow  of  the  barque  Glacier 
which  had  been  driven  ashore  by  the  storm. 

In  a  hurricane  at  another  period  the  pilot  boats  Grace  and  Swift 
were  driven  ashore  in  Southport  harbor  and  the  Swift  filled  with  water. 
At  different  periods  the  pilot  boats  Oriental  and  Louisa  Harper  were 
driven  ashore.  The  bones  of  the  Oriental  now  rest  near  the  Elizabeth 
river,  a  mile  from  the  point  where  she  was  moored. 

In  another  hurricane  the  tug  Blanche  and  the  steamer  Southport 
were  both  driven  ashore  by  the  wind  and  tide  and  both  were  carried 
well  up  on  the  beach  beyond  ordinary  high  water  mark. 

At  one  period  a  severe  hurricane  cut  two  inlets  through  Bay  Beach 
at  the  same  time.  Bay  Beach  is  the  only  protective  bulwark  from  the 
ocean  side  (the  Southeast  from  which  direction  the  hurricanes  are  the 
most  destructive  and  severe)  of  Southport.  It  is  entirely  possible  that 
future  hurricanes  may  cut  additional  inlets,  which  would,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  jeopardize  shipping  and  all  other  property  on  the  water  front  by 
reason  of  the  tremendous  volume  of  water  coming  through. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  in  each  of  the  instances  mentioned 
above,  and  others  which  we  are  sure  we  have  overlooked,  the  wharves 
and  docks  were  all  practically  demolished,  so  that  after  each  hurricane 
thorough  reconstruction  is  necessary.  The  argument  has  been  used  that 
the  natural  breakwater  at  the  Cape  is  a  protection  from  East  to  North¬ 
east  storms. 

,  The  natural  breakwater  referred  to  is  Frying  Pan  Shoals  and  this 
does  in  a  measure  protect  the  Bar,  but  not  Soutnport  hai  boi .  Because 


of  the  East  to  Southeast  exposure  of  Southport  during  a  hurricane  with 
the  wind  from  the  Southeast,  the  level  of  the  water  in  Southport  rises 
from  five  to  eight  feet  above  the  average  high  water  mark.  When  it  is 
recalled  that  the  average  tidal  rise  under  ordinary  conditions  at  South- 
port  is  between  four  and  six  feet,  the  ever  present  danger  of  phenomenal 
and  destructive  rises  at  Southport  as  the  result  of  hurricanes  is  clearly 
apparent.  The  tidal  variation  at  Wilmington  under  ordinary  conditions 
is  from  two  to  three  feet  and  there  is  no  special  variation  of  the  average 
tide  from  hurricane  or  freshet. 

DEPTH  OF  WATER  AT  SOUTHPORT 

There  seems  to  be  a  very  general  impression  that  Southport  has  an 
abundant  depth  of  water,  usually  stated  as  35  to  50  feet.  This  is  prob¬ 
ably  true  as  to  a  channel  1,000  feet  wide  from  Fort  Caswell  for  about  1% 
miles.  From  that  point  to  Quarantine  Station,  it  is  extremely  doubtful 
if  there  is  any  point  where  a  vessel  drawing  30  feet  of  water  could  anchor 
and  swing  in  safety.  The  channel  runs  Northwest  for  about  one  mile  and 
a  quarter  from  Fort  Caswell  with  plenty  of  water,  and  then,  just  before 
reaching  Southport,  turns  almost  at  right  angles  running  Northeast  and 
begins  to  shoal  up  immediately. 

C.  F.  &  Y.  V.  R.  R. 

On  page  53  of  Southport’s  brief  is  the  following  “that  the  only  appar¬ 
ent  exception  to  this  (that  is  that  the  harbor  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cape 
Fear  river  tidal  basin,  or  Southport,  w7as  in  all  cases  the  selected  termi¬ 
nal)  was  the  C.  F.  &  Y.  V.  R.  R.  which  was  prevented  from  reaching 
Southport  by  financial  and  other  obstacles  over  which  the  builders  had 
no  control  and  which  forced  it  into  Wilmington.  Yet  the  brief  says 
that  in  1852  the  General  Assembly  incorporated  the  Western  road  to  be 
built  from  the  Seaport  of  Wilmington  west  into  the  coal  fields  of  Vir¬ 
ginia.  The  next  paragraph  says  from  1852  to  1893  this  road  (then  the 
C.  F.  &  Y.  V.  R.  R.)  had  been  extended  from  Wilmington  on  the  Coast 
to  Mt.  Airy. 

President  Julius  A.  Gray’s  report  to  the  stockholders  of  the  C.  F.  & 
Y.  V.  R.  R.  at  the  annual  meeting  in  1882  said:  “Submitted  to  Governor 
Jarvis  a  proposition  for  the  purchase  of  the  State’s  stock  in  the  Cape 
Fear  and  Yadkin  Valley  Rail  Road,  with  a  view  to  making  it  a  part  of 
the  great  trunk  line  from  Cincinnati  to  Wilmington.”  He  refers  to  it 
again  in  1883  as  a  direct  route  from  Cincinnati  to  Wilmington.  In  1893 
Wilmington  was  made  the  Eastern  terminus  of  the  road  by  law.  Some 
one  may  have  thought  of  Southport  as  a  terminus  but  the  evidence  does 
not  seem  to  show  that  they  did  very  much  about  it.  As  a  matter  of 
history  the  City  of  Wilmington  issued  $200,000  of  bonds,  the  proceeds  of 
which  were  given  to  this  road,  and  these  bonds  are  not  yet  all  paid.  It 


26 


is  hardly  probable  that  Wilmington  would  have  given  money  to  a  rail- 
load  the  terminus  of  which  was  to  be  located  at  some  other  point. 

Southport,  being  as  stated  in  its  brief,  a  small  town  of  1,600  people, 
very  naturally  lacks  most  of  these  advantages. 

It  is  especially  advantageous  for  a  State  to  have  a  large  City  and 
Port,  that  is  a  predominant  City.  It  is  not  practicable  to  have  two. 

OPINION  OF  EXPERTS 

The  American  Association  of  Port  Authorities  says  this — 

“Freight  could  undoubtedly  be  brought  thirty  miles  up  the  river  for 
the  same  ocean  rate  as  to  the  mouth,  thereby  eliminating  thirty  miles 
of  rail  haul.” 

(The  next  clause  refers  to  our  channel  which  he  thinks,  just  as  we 
all  do,  should  be  deeper  and  we  believe  the  Federal  Government,  whose 
province  it  is,  will  make  it  deeper  when  the  business  justifies.) 

“If  wood  piling  is  to  be  used  for  your  wharves,  it  is  desirable  to 
build  in  fresh  water. 

“It  is  our  opinion  that  State  owned  and  operated  facilities  out  of 
politics  and  open  to  everyone  on  equal  terms  is  the  solution  to  problems 
facing  many  ports  now  operated  by  private  interests.  If  the  hinterland 
of  Wilmington  is  favorable  for  inland  water  transportation,  then  the  de¬ 
velopment  of  State  owned  and  operated  facilities  may  encourage  inland 
water  transportation  with  a  resultant  lowering  of  freight  rates  to  meet 
this  competition.  Also  rail  and  water  rates  may  be  announced  by  the 
carriers  which  would  undoubtedly  be  materially  lower  than  the  all  rail 
rate.” 

The  News  Editor  of  the  Commerce  and  Maritime  Record  who  is 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  local  situation  says: 

“Anybody  who  is  in  doubt  as  to  the  advisability  of  spending  the 
State’s  funds  at  Wilmington  instead  of  at  Southport  only  has  to  visit 
New  York  and  see  the  difficulties  encountered  there  with  the  tide  and 
then  come  to  Baltimore  and  notice  that  we  do  not  pay  any  attention  what¬ 
ever  to  it  here,  to  be  convinced  that  Wilmington  is  the  logical  point. 

“If  there  were  no  other  excuse  for  making  Wilmington  the  seaport, 
the  one  cited  above  would  be  sufficient.  You  have  everything  in  \oui 
favor.” 

PILOTS  AND  PILOTAGE 

On  page  73  of  the  brief  presented  by  Southport  is  a  quotation  from 
a  Wilmington  paper  as  follows:  “With  a  wide  and  deep  channel,  and  it 
well  marked,  steamers  could  come  in  easily  without  a  pilot  and  the  larg- 
i  est  of  sailing  vessels  would  never  have  to  take  a  pilot.  The^  fact  of 
«  Southport  being  a  free  harbor  is  wonderfully  in  her  favor.”  That  this 

27 


is  quoted  without  comment  undoubtedly  means  an  endorsement  of  it. 
It  argues  that  a  free  port  is  desirable.  The  fact  is  that  pilotage  over 
the  Bar  is  compulsory  and  in  the  river  optional  and  the  rates  of  pilotage 
have  been  fixed  by  law,  but  the  legislature  of  North  Carolina  can  change 
this  law  any  time  it  sees  fit  to  do  so.  It  could  easily  make  pilotage  com¬ 
pulsory  on  the  Bar  and  in  the  river  or  it  could  make  it  absolutely  free. 
That  is,  a  Master  of  a  vessel  could  use  his  own  pleasure  as  to  whether  he 
would  take  a  pilot  or  not.  There  are  certain  types  of  vessels  that  do 
not  now  take  pilots,  Clyde  Line  steamers,  coasting  vessels  that  ply  here 
regularly,  the  Revenue  Marine,  Light  House  Tenders,  etc.,  but  no  Master 
of  a  vessel  (transient),  a  freighter  that  goes  any  and  everywhere  wants 
to  see  a  port  which  has  not  a  well  regulated  pilot  service.  Especially 
does  this  apply  to  our  Southern  ports  which  are  liable  to  change  caused 
by  heavy  gales  of  wind. 

As  the  draft  of  vessels  has  been  increasing,  greater  skill  has  been 
necessary.  Human  lives  are  at  stake  and  valuable  ships  and  cargoes  are 
entrusted  to  their  care.  In  the  past  many  pilots  have  lost  their  lives 
while  following  the  line  of  their  duty.  It  requires  four  years  (it  for¬ 
merly  required  nine)  to  obtain  a  full  branch;  that  is,  a  man  must  work 
four  years  on  part  pay  before  he  is  entitled  to  the  full  fees  authorized 
by  law.  And,  as  for  the  good  of  the  port,  the  service  must  be  maintained 
with  a  high  degree  of  efficiency,  the  fact  that  vessels,  in  ever  increasing 
numbers,  would  seek  this  harbor  would  tend  to  make  it  attractive  to 
young  men  to  enter  as  apprentices  and  would  always  assure  a  sufficient 
number  of  pilots  to  handle  the  business. 

THE  HINTERLAND 

The  immediate  hinterland  of  the  City  of  Wilmington  has  wonderful 
possibilities  for  manufacturing  and  farm  development.  Being  thirty 
miles  inland,  with  its  projected  port  facilities,  it  can  serve  industries 
located  to  the  East,  South,  West  and  North,  its  lines  of  communication 
radiating  like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel.  This  transport  can  be  by  dray, 
rail  or  barge  on  the  inland  waterway. 

Every  manufacturer  of  the  great  State  of  North  Carolina  can  be 
benefited  by  having  a  wider  market,  and  the  same  is  true  of  every  pro¬ 
ducer,  whether  of  the  farm,  field  or  forest. 

The  greatest  field  for  sales  is  the  world  and  the  road  to  the  coun¬ 
tries  of  the  world  is  by  ocean  ships.  That  the  State  of  North  Carolina 
can  compete  for  its  own  trade — both  export  of  its  finished  products  and 
the  import  of  many  kinds  of  raw  materials — it  must  have  modernly 
equipped  terminals.  As  there  are  diversified  outputs  of  many  factories, 
these  terminals  must  be  universal  in  their  appliances  so  as  to  transfer 
between  shore  and  ship — both  in  and  out — all  kinds  of  package,  bulk 
or  coarse  freight. 


28 


A  terminal  which  is  to  be  of  service  to  every  citizen  must  not 
have  only  mechanical  facilities  for  fertilizers  and  not  for  furniture,  not 
mei ely  phosphate  lock  and  none  for  dry  goods  and  groceries.  The  ma¬ 
chinery  must  be  applicable  to  every  kind  of  freight  that  may  come  in  the 
railroad  classification  lists. 

It  is  possible  today  at  correctly  designed  terminals  furnished  with 
the  universal  mechanical  appliances  to  secure  the  following  results _ 

FIRST.  In  comparison  with  ports  south  of  New  York,  the  time  of 
discharging  and  handling  cargoes  can  be  reduced  approximately  to  one- 
third. 

SECOND.  There  can  be  three  times  the  tonnage  transferred  over 
each  foot  of  linear  frontage  per  annum. 

THIRD.  From  the  above  the  cost  of  this  transference  will  be  about 
one-third. 

It  is  evident  that  based  upon  the  above,  that  ship  owners,  shippers 
and  consignees  will  give  to  the  Port  of  Wilmington  preference  over  ports 
not  so  designed  and  equipped. 

In  order  that  the  Commission  may  understand  what  can  be  done  at 
the  Port  of  Wilmington,  and  the  possibilities  of  the  proposed  location, 
there  has  been  prepared  a  map  showing  a  concrete  plan,  not  of  necessity 
the  only  design,  but  one  to  indicate  an  example  of  what  can  be  done. 

It  is  the  desire  of  the  City  of  Wilmington  to  present  something  tan¬ 
gible  and  to  indicate  that  there  is  a  departure  from  generalities.  In 
addition  to  showing  what  position  Wilmington  will  take  among  the  other 
Atlantic  ports  as  a  competing  port,  there  is  here  given  the  following 
description  of  what  method  of  procedure  would  be  necessary. 

This  visualizes  at  a  glance  how  the  State  of  North  Carolina  will 
be  benefited  by  having  ready  for  use  this  terminal  opening  to  all  the 
markets  of  the  world. 

The  commerce  of  the  United  States  far  exceeds  that  of  any  country 
in  the  history  of  the  world. 

This  enormous  commerce  will  remain,  if  besides  the  low  cost  of 
production  due  to  manufacturing  in  large  quantities  there  be  a  low  cost 
of  water  transportation  with  a  correct  physical  preparation  tor  the  trans¬ 
ference  of  the  cargoes  quickly  and  economically  through  the  poit  termi¬ 
nals.  Much  of  this  commerce  belongs  to  the  United  States  on  account 
of  the  raw  material,  the  natural  products  from  the  faim,  woods  and 
mines,  and  the  present  wonderful  facilities  for  manufactui  ing.  All  in¬ 
dustries  have  received  a  great  impulse  during  the  last  two  \eais. 


This  still  increasing  commerce  must  pass  through  the  gateways  of 
port  cities  to  reach  the  profitable  markets  of  the  world,  which  have 
been  so  lately  developed  and  opened  to  the  merchants  and  manufacturers 
of  this  country.  Wherever  the  new  gateways  for  the  outflow  and  inflow 


29 


of  commerce  are  located,  there  will  arise  the  richest  and  most  populous 
cities  of  the  United  States.  Those  gateways  will  be  preeminent  which 
possess  natural  advantages,  which  can  be  developed  most  quickly  and 
which  have  the  fewest  physical  and  political  drawbacks  to  be  overcome. 

For  example,  there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  future  of  the  State  of 
North  Carolina.  This  State  has  been  handicapped  in  the  past.  Its  man¬ 
ufacturers  have  not  had  the  same  opportunity  that  they  would  have  had 
could  ocean-going  ships  have  been  able  to  use  the  Port  of  Wilmington 
more  freely.  If  a  manufacturer  here  located  desired  to  send  goods  to 
foreign  countries,  he  must  pay  the  water  or  rail  transportation  expense  to 
Norfolk  or  Charleston,  and  then  the  great  terminal  expenses  of  rehandling 
and  of  transference  at  these  ports.  As  these  expenses  are  preliminary 
to  the  steamship  rates,  is  it  any  wonder  that  his  profit  was  greatly  re¬ 
duced?  It  does  not  require  much  business  acumen  to  see  that  this  con¬ 
dition  could  not  continue  long,  even  had  there  been  no  war  to  stimulate 
business  and  foreign  commerce. 

It  can  be  asserted  without  contradiction  that  there  must  be  many 
marine  terminals  if  the  greater  proportion  of  the  trade  of  the  world 
is  to  be  secured.  Unless  there  be  a  change  in  port  facilities,  the  greatest 
restraint  of  foreign  trade  will  be  the  high  expense  of  obtaining  raw  ma¬ 
terial  and  of  the  shipping  of  the  finished  products  to  the  markets  of  the 
world,  and  not  a  small  proportion  of  this  expense  will  be  the  terminal 
charges — especially  when  there  are  several  rehandlings — which  is  ever 
increasing.  It  is  difficult  for  the  merchants  and  manufacturers  to  ex¬ 
pand  according  to  their  other  opportunities.  There  should,  therefore, 
be  many  new  seaport  terminals  established  as  near  as  possible  to  the 
place  of  origin  of  the  finished  products. 

There  are  being  built  new  terminals  along  the  Atlantic,  the  inland 
rivers  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Some  of  these  will  overtower  the  others. 
Which  states  will  have  the  greatest  terminals? 

By  what  means  can  a  state  secure  this  pre-eminence  and  attract  to 
itself  the  business  from  shippers,  consignees  and  shipowners?  How 
can  it  compete  with  existing  ports  and  divide  with  such  ports  the  ever- 
increasing  new  foreign  commerce  and  obtain  its  share  of  the  old? 

The  answer  is  not  difficult.  Provide  better  facilities  than  those 
of  the  older  ports.  This  should  be  done  in  the  City  of  Wilmington,  North 
Carolina. 

In  what  do  these  facilities  consist? 

t 

MARINE  TERMINAL  FACILITIES 

p 

1.  That  class  of  construction  which  will  avoid  interruption  of  com-  j 
merce,  either  by  fire  or  by  continual  repairing — that  is,  make  the  quays  f 
or  piers  fireproof,  rat  proof  and  decay  resisting.  The  quays  and  the  n 


30 


piers  above  mean  low  water  should  be  of  concrete  construction.  Such 

should  be  the  construction  of  the  new  quays  along  the  waterfront  of 
Wilmington. 

2.  Provide  transferring  and  handling  machinery  which  will  be  equal 
to,  if  not  bettei ,  than  that  of  any  other  port  terminal.  Such  a  port 
will  be  several  times  more  efficient  than  any  of  the  larger  port  cities 
of  the  United  States.  To  secure  a  superiority  over  other  competing 
ports,  it  is  essential  for  such  a  port  to  be  in  the  van  in  the  construction 
of  its  terminals  and  in  the  installation  of  machinery,  and  not  come  trail¬ 
ing  after  nearby  cities.  The  city  which  acts  first  will  lead.  Copying 
successful  foreign  poits  and  adapting  their  facilities  to  American  con¬ 
ditions  would  put  any  American  port  far  ahead  in  the  competitive  race. 
Such  should  be  the  port  of  Wilmington,  N.  C. 

3.  It  is  necessary  to  have  the  closest  railway  co-ordination  between 
ship  and  shore.  Outbound  goods  must  be  directly  loaded  by  machinery 
from  car  to  ship  and  inbound  goods  from  ship  to  shed.  The  projected 
plans  for  the  waterfront  of  Wilmington  so  provide. 

4.  Congestion  at  the  point  of  deposition  or  elsewhere  cannot  be 
allowed,  if  speed  of  unloading  is  to  be  attained.  It  is  this  absence  of 
congestion  which  comprises  the  superiority  of  the  crane  over  the  ship’s 
winch.  Wilmington  should  have  the  most  modern  machinery. 

5.  There  should  be  at  the  terminal  not  only  steel  sheds  for  assort¬ 
ing,  distributing  and  tiering  the  cargoes,  but  also  concrete  warehouses 
for  long  storage.  Provisions  for  these  devices  should  be  made  at  Wil¬ 
mington. 

There  are  many  other  terminal  essentials,  but  only  a  few  are  given. 

It  should  never  be  forgotten  that  the  investment  in  terminals  is  not 
a  source  of  expense  to  a  State,  that  is  taxation,  but  besides  the  terminal 
being  self-supporting,  it  is  also  a  source  of  income.  Its  bonds  are  even 
in  a  more  desirable  class  than  water  bonds.  This  does  not  apply  to  an 
incorrectly  designed  or  poorly  constructed  terminal.  Wilmington  should 
be  of  the  best  type. 

The  following  have  been  so  universally  accepted  as  to  have  become 
proverbs : 

COMMERCE  OF  A  PORT  DEPENDENT  ON  ITS  TERMINALS 

The  commercial  future  of  a  seaport  city  is  dependent  upon  its 
terminal  facilities. 

Transportation  efficiency  today  is  a  terminal  problem,  the  main  pur¬ 
pose  of  which  is  to  secure  an  adequate  development  of  terminal  facilities 
for  the  transfer  and  handling  of  freight.  That  city,  which,  through  low 
terminal  cost  and  high  terminal  speed  reduces  transportation  expense, 
not  only  facilitates  commerce  but  creates  commerce  and  manufacture  for 


31 


the  State  and  an  enviable  position  for  itself  through  its  increasing  popu¬ 
lation  and  prosperity. 

The  trade  of  a  State  or  city  is  great  as  the  State  or  city  develops 
facilities  for  the  easy  flow  of  commerce  through  its  gates,  and  its  pos¬ 
sible  supremacy  as  a  trade  power  depends  upon  its  transportation  effi¬ 
ciency. 

This  transportation  efficiency  has  long  been  recognized  by  those 
countries  which  have  been  the  leaders  in  foreign  commerce,  and  their 
main  purpose  has  been  to  obtain  the  utmost  development  of  their  termi¬ 
nals  for  economical  and  rapid  transfer  between  vessel  and  shore.  If  a 
city  will  observe  the  above  and  possesses  the  following  qualifications,  the 
only  limit  to  its  growth  is  the  growth  of  the  nation.  Through  its  termi¬ 
nals  Wilmington  will  double  its  population. 

The  following  are  a  few  of  the  conditions  necessary  for  a  great  in¬ 
dustrial  terminal,  and  then  for  the  greater  port  city : 

REQUISITES  OF  A  STATE  TERMINAL,  ALL  POSSESSED  BY  THE 

CITY  OF  WILMINGTON 

1.  A  rich  hinterland,  rich  in  the  possibilities  of  the  products  of  the 
earth  and  of  manufacturing. 

2.  Rail  connections  and  a  possible  increase  of  such  connections,  and 
rail  service  to  all  parts  of  the  terminal,  to  the  city  and  to  all  territory 
tributary  to  the  terminal. 

3.  A  harbor  and  terminal  site  near  the  business  of  the  city  for 
the  industrial  terminal,  with  control  of  possible  future  extensions. 

4.  Low  cost  of  harbor  development  proportional  to  that  of  other 
cities. 

5.  A  navigable  channel  to  the  ocean. 

6.  A  population,  energetic  and  full  of  faith  as  to  the  future  of  their 
State  and  city,  and  as  one  unit  as  to  its  development  in  the  fruits  of  which 
all  will  participate. 

7.  An  important  condition  is  to  have  a  State-owned  and  State-con¬ 
trolled  terminals.  That  is,  one  that  belongs  exclusively  to  the  peopie. 

8.  Correctly  designed  piers  and  quays  furnished  with  fireproof  sheds 
*and  warehouses  and  completely  and  properly  equipped  with  freight 
transferring,  assorting  and  distributing  machinery. 

9.  Near  location  for  railway  tracks  for  extensive  car  shifting,  clas¬ 
sifying  and  storage. 

10.  Land  for  manufacturing  lofts,  which  should  be  under  control 
of  the  terminal. 

A  city  is  most  favorably  situated  if  possessed  of  all  these  advan¬ 
tages,  a  combination  difficult  to  be  surpassed. 


32 


CONCLUSIONS 

1.  In  the  competition  between  ports  a  city  whose  terminals  are 
largely  privately  owned  and  controlled  cannot  successfully  compete  with 
a  city  whose  terminals  are  owned,  controlled  and  operated  by  the  State 
and  for  the  people. 

2.  Any  port  which  hopes  to  secure  its  share  of  domestic  and  for¬ 
eign  commerce  must  build  permanent  and  fireproof  quays  and  piers. 

3.  Not  only  will  the  City  of  Wilmington  be  so  rendered  prosperous 
by  being  the  great  open  gateway  for  the  State,  but  the  whole  State, 
every  manufacturing  city,  or  section,  will  also  share  in  this  prosperity. 

There  will  be  a  greatly  extended  market  for  all  agricultural  prod¬ 
ucts  of  the  farm  and  field. 


The  State  of  North  Carolina  needs  at  once  this  terminal  road  to  the 
Ocean  to  foster  and  to  protect  the  business  of  its  citizens,  but  it  must 
have  all  modern  terminal  facilities  correctly  designed  and  properly 
equipped  with  modern  machinery. 

OPINION  OF  A  TERMINAL  ENGINEER 


In  closing  we  wish  to  quote  from  a  letter  dated  September  21,  1923, 
and  written  by  the  editor  of  Port  and  Terminal,  a  New  York  Maritime 
Journal,  whose  business  it  is  to  keep  posted  on  all  matters  relating  to 
ships  and  shipping.  The  letter  was  in  reply  to  three  questions  pro¬ 
pounded  by  the  Wilmington  Chamber  of  Commerce.  The  answers,  of 
course,  indicate  the  questions. 

“We  have  your  kind  letter  of  the  15th  and  in  response  thereto  we 
have  consulted  with  Mr.  H.  McL.  Harding,  our  consulting  engineer  on 
the  points  in  question — 

You  are  right.  We  cannot  doubt  but  what  there  will  be  a  sav¬ 
ing  in  cost  of  rail  freight  by  having  the  terminals  located  up  the  river 
as  you  suggest.  In  most  cases,  up-river  points  are  more  favorable  from 
the  viewpoint  of  geographical  location  as  well  as  the  question  of  safety. 
As  a  general  rule,  in  cases  of  this  kind,  rail  lines  can  be  terminated  within 
a  reasonable  limit  of  revenue  territory  of  the  railroad.  The  additional 
cost  of  water  haul  30  miles  from  the  mouth  would  be  so  slight  as  to  be 


i  negligible  factor. 

“2.  By  all  means  fresh  water  is  a  better  location  for  harboi  stiue- 
Lures,  owing  to  the  deteriorating  effect  and  teredo  attack  in  salt  water. 

“3.  As  regards  State  owned  facilities  open  and  on  an  equal  basis 
with  everyone,  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  its  advisability. 

“This  is  particularly  true  in  the  development  of  a  smaller  seaport. 
Terminal  facilities  can  be  provided  with  less  waste  of  space  an  ,  ere- 
fore,  more  economically,  encouraging  the  town  natives  by  the  flow  ot 

commerce  through  that  port. 


33 


A  VISION 


At  this  point,  one  could  well  drift  for  a  few  minutes  into  the  realms 
of  dreamland  visualizing  things  as  they  may  well  be  in  the  future.  He 
would  doubtless  see  on  the  banks  of  the  Cape  Fear  river  in  the  fair  City 
of  Wilmington,  a  tremendous  space,  as  space  in  cities  goes  and  on  this 
space  are  mammoth  buildings  and  strange  looking  devices.  These  struc¬ 
tures  are  safe  from  the  destructive  element  of  fire,  impervious  to  the 
damaging  effect  of  water,  immune  to  the  ravages  of  property  destroying 
rodents  and  so  solid  and  substantial  and  permanent  that  they  will  never 
know  decay. 

And  what  would  one  see  inside  these  mammoth  buildings?  In  one 
are  bushels  and  bushels  of  wheat  that  have  come  here  from  the  mid-west 
by  a  through  East  and  West  trunk  line  which  will  be  existent  then.  This 
wheat  is  waiting  to  be  exported,  at  prices  that  mean  profit  to  the  pro¬ 
ducer,  to  a  rehabilitated  Europe.  And  in  another  he  would  see  hogshead 
after  hogshead  of  tobacco  from  the  golden  belt  of  North  Carolina  to  be 
shipped  through  the  State’s  own  port  as  of  right  it  ought  to  be.  And  in 
another,  he  would  see  cases  of  cotton  goods  and  crates  of  furniture  and 
many  other  articles  manufactured  in  this  great  State  and  seeking  outlet 
through  a  port  that  is  all  its  own.  And  the  great  black  dingy  building, 
what  of  that?  In  that  are  tons  and  tons  of  coal  which  have  come  straight 
as  the  arrow  flies  from  coal  fields  in  the  heart  of  this  State  of  ours.  Afid 
there  is  yet  another  picture.  In  this  he  would  see  all  marked  and  ready 
for  distribution  into  our  hinterland,  by  rail,  by  barge,  by  truck,  wonder¬ 
ful  silks  from  Japan,  other  rich  goods  from  the  far  East,  manufactured 
goods  from  Europe,  frozen  lamb  from  Australia,  quarters  of  beef  and 
bales  on  bales  of  hides  from  the  Argentine,  and  who  knows  but  what  shoe 
factories  would  follow  in  their  train.  Rubber,  and  all  products  of  other 
climes,  raw  sugar  from  our  neighbors  to  the  South,  refineries  to  be  lo¬ 
cated  here,  and  all  the  myriads  of  necessities  and  comforts  and  luxuries 
that  are  demanded  now  in  our  complex  lives.  And  with  his  mental  eye 
he  could  penetrate,  and  this  won’t  be  long,  the  opaqueness  of  the  cypress 
stained  waters  and  he  would  see  thirty  feet  of  same  between  the  placid 
bosom  of  the  Cape  Fear  and  the  bed  of  the  channel  below,  and  looking 
to  the  North  he  would  see  a  12-foot  canal  from  the  Cape  Fear  river  to 
all  the  Northern  marts,  a  canal  so  safe  from  flood  and  wind  and  storm 
that  a  child  could  navigate  its  gentle  waters,  and  plying  these  waters, 
hither  and  yon,  are  barges  and  boats  and  other  craft  each  laden  with  the 
products  of  farm  and  factory  and  forest,  going  to  the  ultimate  consumer 
at  the  slightest  modicum  of  cost. 

And  swinging  his  eye  to  the  West  in  its  roving  glance,  he  would  see 
the  North  East  river  and  the  Cape  Fear  and  Black  and  South  and  all 
the  other  1,000  miles  of  navigable  waters  that  flow  to  this  fair  town  of  Wil¬ 
mington,  each  bringing  its  burden  of  cheer  and  prosperity  and  things 


34 


for  daily  use  to  those  who  need  them  most.  And  that  first  big  space  we 
saw.  What  a  hive  of  industry  it  is.  What  busy  men,  what  healthy, 
happy  women  all  working  at  those  things  which  best  do  suit  their  taste 
and  capability.  And  from  aloft  he  would  look  down  upon  this,  my  native 
State,  and  see  miles  and  miles  of  roads.  Roads  from  the  lofty  mountains 
of  the  West  to  the  gently  sloping  Beaches  of  the  East.  Roads  from  the 
Old  Dominion  on  the  North  to  the  Palmetto  State  on  the  South  and  lead¬ 
ing  to  every  nook  and  cranny  of  the  Old  North  State,  he  would  see  roads 
and  roads  and  roads.  And  on  these  roads  are  truck  after  truck  carrying 
produce  in  and  merchandise  out  as  needs  may  be,  and  farmer  and  mer¬ 
chant,  mechanic  and  laborer  are  going  to  and  fro  in  autos  of  their  own, 
so  prosperous  have  all  become. 

And  now  one  reads  the  list  of  all  these  States  of  this  great  nation. 
First  in  products  of  the  farm,  first  in  furniture,  first  in  cotton  goods, 
first  in  tobacco,  and  first  in  many  material  things.  First  in  education, 
first  in  culture,  first  in  morals  and  first  in  all  those  attributes  that  make 
for  civic  righteousness  and  there  after  all  these  things,  he  says  the  name 
of  North  Carolina,  writ  in  letters  bold  and  big. 


CONCLUSION 


We  rest  our  case  here  fully  satisfied  that  it  is  now  in  the  hands  of 
a  fair-minded  and  a  competent  body  which,  we  know,  is  considering  all 
matters  from  the  broad  view  of  the  most  benefit  to  the  State,  rather  than 
to  any  particular  location,  section  or  interest. 

We  firmly  believe  that  the  proper  solution  of  the  problem  will  even¬ 
tuate  in  relief  from  the  inequities  and  injustices  of  which  this  State  has 


long  been  a  victim. 


Nothing  in  this  argument  is  intended  as  a  reflection  on  the  town  of 
Southport  or  on  any  person  who  had  a  part  in  preparing  the  brief  recently 
submitted,  on  its  behalf,  to  the  Commission.  The  papei  was  ably  edited 
and  contains  many  fine  passages.  We  have  always  felt  sympathetic  with 
the  town  of  Southport  and  there  has  been  no  change  in  this  feeling.  We 
cordially  wish  for  it,  success  and  prosperity  and  will  help,  when  occasion 
affords,  but  we  feel  so  confident  of  Wilmington’s  superiority  in  every 
way  for  this  purpose,  that  we  have  felt  it  clearly  our  duty  to  demonstrate 

;  it  to  the  people  of  North  Carolina. 

It  has  been  our  purpose  simply  to  place  before  the  Commission  the 
advantages  of  the  Port  of  Wilmington,  as  we  see  them;  to  state  facts 
bearing  on  a  little  understood  situation  and  to  correct  erroneous  impres¬ 
sions  that  may  have  been  created  in  the  public  mind. 


That  which  the  State  wants  is  relief  from  an  intolerable  condition 
inder  which  it  has  been  laboring  for  all  these  years,  and  now  that  the 
ase  has  been  diagnosed  it  wants  the  remedy  applied  and  applied  quickly. 


35 


The  remedy  may  be  applied,  in  full,  by  the  use  of  Wilmington  as  a 
State  Port  many  years  quicker  than  by  the  use  of  any  other  place  in  the 
State. 

The  remedy  may  be  applied  much  more  economically  by  the  use  of 
Wilmington.  It  could  doubtless  save  a  large  sum  of  money  in  construc¬ 
tion  costs  for  reasons  previously  stated,  and  if  the  recommendation 
were  followed  that  a  rail  carrier  be  purchased  or  constructed  to  provide 
the  necessary  transportation,  the  saving  should  be  something  like 
one  million  dollars.  That  is  the  first  cost  alone.  There  would  also  be 
a  saving  in  maintenance  charges  and  insurance  on  terminals  and  contents. 

Feeling  fully  justified  by  the  reasons  above  set  forth  we  earnestly 
ask  that  you  recommend  the  adoption  of  the  State  Port  idea  in  principle 
and  the  early  acceptance  of  Wilmington’s  proffered  site,  free  of  charge, 
to  the  State,  the  plans  for  terminals  to  be  worked  out  later  by  competent 
engineers. 

With  the  Commission  in  full  possession  of  all  the  facts  just  as  they 
exist,  we  rest  content. 


\ 


36 


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